This article explains what polymorphism is and how it applies to object oriented design in particular. It also explains the pros and cons of polymorphism when working with certain versions of PHP.
NOTE: The latest versions of PHP, and I am not sure in which exact version this was corrected, support late binding properly. There are still tons of issues with using late binding in cahoots with a bytecode cache, for reasons beyond my understanding or concern. Those of you using an older version of PHP (I still have 5.0.1 on a server) can see for yourselves the lack of late binding support. I initially rescinded this article after learning that late binding is properly supported in current versions, but it is important that you be aware of the possibility that it may not work in your particular PHP 5 install.
PHP 5 and Polymorphism
This article is going to cover one of the most important parts of object oriented programming and design–polymorphism–using PHP 5 for demonstration purposes. Before you continue, be warned that this article is not entirely positive in regard to PHP. While the language is great for rapid development and has made tremendous strides in the last two major versions, its object support still has a way to go before being on par with more mature languages like C++ or Java.
If you are an object programming guru this article probably isn’t for you, since polymorphism is one of those things you learn light-switch style – suddenly it’s all clear, and once you understand it, you never forget. If you are looking to learn a bit about object programming and design and you aren’t really sure exactly what it means when someone says an object is polymorphic, this article will help.
By the end of this article, you should know what polymorphism is and how it applies to object oriented design in particular, and you should know about the pros and cons of PHP 5 object programming as it pertains to polymorphism.
