get current instance of class in PHP

Question

how do i get access to a current instance of class that's already running in PHP?

in my one PHP class, I want to call a function from another that's already running as a server. so i cant create a new instance.

thanks.

p a

Answer 1

What you want is called a singleton.

With a Singleton you can have only one instance of your class running on the server.

To do so you must :

• store your instance in your class as a static field
• have a private constructor so you can't create instances yourself
• have a static method which call the constructor once, and return the only instance

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Resources :

• Wikipedia - Singleton pattern
• php.net - singleton

On the same topic :

• Creating the Singleton design pattern in PHP5
• What is so bad about Singletons