From: Ben Stones > I've been learning about object oriented programming for the past few weeks > and I've understood it pretty well, but I have one question. Usually with > PHP scripts I make, all the functionality for a specific page is in the > actual PHP file, and I'd use PHP functions in a separate directory which > would be included in whichever PHP file needs specific functions I have > created. The functions would be for the specific things in my script, such > as validation checks, functionality that will be used/repeated a lot > throughout my script, etc. What I don't understand about OOP is what its > primary purpose is for. Do I use OOP for all the functionality of my > application, in separate directories, and include these specific class files > and call the methods to complete specific functionality needed for whatever > PHP file I'm working on, or is OOP used for specific functionality like I > would with functions? Essentially what I'm asking is what is the primary > purpose for OOP? Hope you understand. OOP is a way of looking at a problem and map it into code. Some problems will fit into it, some don't. Some people can look at problems and see objects and some can't. But in most cases, it is not easy to take an existing procedural program and re-map it into objects. It would be easier to start over from the specification and write it from scratch in the object model. If you have been doing procedural programming, don't worry if you don't figure it out right away. It is not an easy transition to make. Many of us with decades of programming behind us will never be able to make that switch. Our brains are too tightly locked into the previous thought patterns. Bob McConnell -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
