Codeigniter/PHP assigning a value to a variable in the Constructor

Question

I'd like to define a global object variable that I could use in several of the functions in my controller, Items.

Here's my code that doesn't work:

class Items extends CI_Controller {

 private $varname;

 function Items(){
  parent::__construct();
    $this->load->model('items_model');
    $folder_id=416;
    $this->varname=$this->items_model->getFilesById($folder_id);
 }

 function index(){
   var_dump($this->varname);    
 }

}

So $this->varname doesn't work as evidenced when I go to the url: localhost/items/index the printed ouput is this:

array(0) { }

gcochard · Accepted Answer · 2012-08-10 18:08:22Z

1

Depending on your version of PHP, the constructor may not be called. Try changing

function Items(){

to

function __construct(){

and see if that fixes the problem.

http://php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.decon.php As of PHP 5.3.3, methods with the same name as the last element of a namespaced class name will no longer be treated as constructor. This change doesn't affect non-namespaced classes.

That may be what is causing your problem.

answered Aug 10, 2012 at 18:08

gcochard

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7 Comments

tim peterson Over a year ago

-@Greg thanks, I'm using PHP 5.3.1, unfortunately that didn't change the problem, its probably some Codeigniter weirdness, might there be any other way? Do I have to use the $this keyword to make it a global variable?

gcochard Over a year ago

You have to use $this-> to refer to that instance's files variable. Where is files declared?

tim peterson Over a year ago

files isn't declared anywhere. I thought I could just assign files to the items_model data I retrieved. I don't need it to be called files. It can be anything just as long as I can call this variable throughout the class.

gcochard Over a year ago

You can, I was just wondering if files was already defined by codeigniter, and that is what was causing the problem. Maybe choose another variable name and declare it using private $varname; at the top of the class, before the functions.

gcochard Over a year ago

Try var_dumping $this->items_model->getFilesById($folder_id) in the constructor. Maybe the getfilesbyid is the problem.

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