Learn Object-Oriented PHP With These Beginner-Friendly Resources!
by Kelsey Arrington on Sep 15, 2022 Are you ready to dive into the fascinating world of object-oriented PHP? Whether you’re in the league of new development professionals or you’re one of many procedural PHP developers looking for more efficient methods; this was written for you! In this article, we’ll explore a basic understanding of object-oriented PHP and provide essential resources for you to learn more!
In this article:
What is PHP?
Wondering what PHP is, exactly? Well, the recursive acronym, PHP, stands for hypertext preprocessor. It is a general-purpose scripting language that is used by web developers across the globe. According to php.net, “[PHP is] fast, flexible, and pragmatic. PHP powers everything from your blog to the most popular websites in the world.”
What is Object-Oriented Programming?
Object-oriented programming also referred to as OOP, is a programming paradigm touted to be one of the most fundamental web development skills. OOP encourages developers to create classes and objects to contain functions in addition to data – a simple and concise way to code PHP script.
Wondering what classes and objects are? According to w3Schools.com, “a class is a template for objects, and an object is an instance of a class. When the individual objects are created, they inherit all the properties and behaviors from the class, but each object will have different values for the properties.”
To use a real-world example, imagine we have “clothing” as a class. Shirts, pants, tank tops, and dresses would be objects within that class.
Another example would be to imagine “food” as a class. Within that class, some objects may include pizza, salad, and tacos.
The examples above provide a very basic understanding of object-oriented programming. For resources that can provide a deeper context, keep reading! We’ll list learner-centered online tutorials, courses, and more below!
Resources for Learning Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
Have you been searching for a PHP class? Looking for something that specifically teaches object-oriented PHP? Well, you’re in luck! Below you’ll find links to GitHub repositories with a wealth of PHP knowledge, free books/guides for PHP developers, and free tutorials that offer insight into all that object-oriented PHP requires!
3 GitHub Repositories to Dive Deeper into PHP
For many folks in the web development community, GitHub is a go-to resource for information. And we can see why! Below are 3 resources that will expand your knowledge of PHP.
- Learn Modern PHP – a curated resource for PHP tutorials
- Learning OOP in PHP – a collection of object-oriented programming concepts for PHP developers
- OOP-PHP – a general overview of PHP
5 Free Books & Guides for PHP Developers
Looking for literature on OOP PHP? Here are guides and books you can read for free!
- OOP Official PHP Reference Guide by php.net
- Object-oriented Programming Guide by Mozilla
- Hacking with PHP by Paul Hudson
- PHP: The Right Way by Josh Lockhard & Phil Sturgeon
- Practical PHP Testing by Giorgio Sironi
7 Free Tutorials on Object-Oriented PHP
Are you ready to write object-oriented code? Below is a curated list of introductory tutorials that will help you gain sufficient knowledge on the subject!
- Intro to Object Association – an introduction to objects and how they function within OOP PHP by Jason Wertz
- Object-Oriented PHP for Beginners – a beginner-friendly intro to OOP PHP by Jason Lengstorf
- Introduction to OOP Concepts and More – a tutorial highlighting OOP and design patterns by Code Project
- Object-Oriented Programming – intro tutorial by Brian Will
- Full PHP8 Tutorial – Learn PHP The Right Way in 2022/2023 – a playlist of tutorials on PHP8 by Program with Gio
- OOP vs Procedural Code – a tutorial explaining the difference between object-oriented programming and procedural code by irmaxell’s blog
- Object-Oriented Design Cheat Sheet – a guide that provides a basic understanding of OOP by Cheatography