How Can I Efficiently Merge PHP Objects, Including Those with Methods?

Merging PHP Objects: An Alternative Method

In the world of PHP, the need arises to combine the properties of two objects. Unlike subclass relationships, the objects in question may not have any hierarchical connections. This article explores an alternative method to merge PHP objects, addressing the limitations of existing solutions.

Property-Only Objects

When dealing with objects that exclusively contain properties (i.e., no methods), a simple approach exists:

$obj_merged = (object) array_merge((array) $obj1, (array) $obj2);

This method converts each object into an array using type casting and then merges the arrays using array_merge(). Finally, it reconverts the merged array back into an object, resulting in a new object that combines the properties of both $obj1 and $obj2.

Objects with Methods

Interestingly, this approach also works for objects that contain methods. PHP 5.3 and later seamlessly handles this scenario, despite the warning provided in the source code. The methods of both objects are preserved in the merged object.

Performance Considerations

The performance of this method is commendable, even when dealing with objects containing a large number of properties. It outperforms the alternative of using loops to copy each property individually.

Conclusion

This type-cast and array_merge() approach provides a straightforward and efficient mechanism for merging PHP objects, regardless of whether they contain methods or not. It offers a compelling alternative to the typical approaches based on inheritance or copying properties.

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