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Classes and Constructors

Defining a class​

A class is an object definition that serves as a template. The construct() method is called when creating instances with new:

ZYMBA
$Product = new object() {
    name;
    price;
    stock;

    construct($name, $price, $stock = 0) {
        $this.name  = $name;
        $this.price = $price;
        $this.stock = $stock;
    }

    getTotal() {
        return $this.price * $this.stock;
    }

    isAvailable() {
        return $this.stock > 0;
    }
};

Creating instances​

Use new with the class variable and constructor arguments:

ZYMBA
$widget = new $Product("Widget", 9.99, 100);
$gadget = new $Product("Gadget", 29.99);

echo $widget.name;          // "Widget"
echo $widget.getTotal();    // 999
echo $gadget.isAvailable(); // false (stock defaults to 0)

Each instance is independent — modifying one does not affect others:

ZYMBA
$widget.stock = 50;
echo $widget.getTotal(); // 499.5
echo $gadget.stock;      // 0 (unchanged)

Property declarations​

Properties can be declared with or without default values:

ZYMBA
$Config = new object() {
    host     = "localhost";  // Default value
    port     = 3306;         // Default value
    database;                // No default (null)
    username;                // No default (null)

    construct($db, $user) {
        $this.database = $db;
        $this.username = $user;
    }
};

Method chaining​

Return $this from methods to enable fluent interfaces:

ZYMBA
$QueryBuilder = new object() {
    table;
    conditions = [];
    limit;

    from($t) {
        $this.table = $t;
        return $this;
    }

    where($cond) {
        $this.conditions[] = $cond;
        return $this;
    }

    take($n) {
        $this.limit = $n;
        return $this;
    }

    build() {
        $sql = "SELECT * FROM " . $this.table;
        if (count $this.conditions > 0) {
            $sql .= " WHERE " . @Array.joinValues($this.conditions, " AND ");
        }
        if (exists $this.limit) {
            $sql .= " LIMIT " . $this.limit;
        }
        return $sql;
    }
};

$sql = (new $QueryBuilder())
    .from("contacts")
    .where("active = 1")
    .where("type = 'customer'")
    .take(10)
    .build();
// "SELECT * FROM contacts WHERE active = 1 AND type = 'customer' LIMIT 10"

This pattern appears extensively in ZeyOS platform code:

ZYMBA
new @ZeyOS.ObjectTransaction()
    .setFields([name: "New Item", price: 19.99])
    .setItems([$items])
    .save();

Dynamic method calls​

Call methods by name using bracket notation:

ZYMBA
$calc = new object() {
    add($a, $b) { return $a + $b; }
    mul($a, $b) { return $a * $b; }
};

$operation = "add";
$result = $calc[$operation](3, 4); // 7