Skip to main content

Magic Methods

Chapter Overview​

In this chapter you will learn:

  • What magic methods are
  • Why magic methods exist
  • Object lifecycle
  • Dynamic properties
  • Serialization
  • Method overloading
  • Cloning
  • Object invocation
  • Debugging helpers
  • Real-world examples
  • Laravel examples
  • PocketMine examples
  • Enterprise usage

What are Magic Methods?

Magic methods are special methods in PHP that begin with:

__

(two underscores)

Example:

__construct()

They allow PHP to automatically execute code during specific events.

Examples:

Object Creation
Object Destruction
Property Access
Method Calls
Serialization
Cloning
Printing Objects

List of Magic Methods

__construct()
__destruct()

__get()
__set()
__isset()
__unset()

__call()
__callStatic()

__toString()

__invoke()

__clone()

__sleep()
__wakeup()

__serialize()
__unserialize()

__debugInfo()

Object Lifecycle

Create Object
      ↓
Constructor
      ↓
Use Object
      ↓
Destroy Object

Magic methods allow us to control this process.

__construct()

What is Constructor?​

Constructor runs automatically when object is created.

Example:

class Player {

    public function __construct() {

        echo "Player Created";

    }

}

Usage:

$player =
new Player();

Output:

Player Created

Constructor with Parameters

class Player {

    public function __construct(
        private string $name
    ) {

    }

}

Usage:

$player =
new Player(
    "Aayan"
);

Why Constructors Exist

To initialize objects.

Examples:

Database Connections
Configurations
Services
Dependency Injection

Real Example

class Database {

    public function __construct() {

        $this->connect();

    }

}

Laravel Example

public function __construct(
    UserRepository $users
)

Dependency Injection.

__destruct()

Destructor runs automatically when object is destroyed.

Example:

class Test {

    public function __destruct() {

        echo "Destroyed";

    }

}

Usually runs:

End of Script

or when object has no references.

Real Example

class Database {

    public function __destruct() {

        $this->connection
            ->close();

    }

}

Use Cases

Closing Files
Closing Database Connections
Logging
Cleanup

__toString()

Called when object is treated as a string.

Example:

class User {

    public function __toString()
    : string {

        return "Aayan";

    }

}

Usage:

$user =
new User();

echo $user;

Output:

Aayan

Without __toString():

Fatal Error
Object cannot be converted to string

Real Example

class Position {

    public function __toString()
    : string {

        return
            $this->x .
            "," .
            $this->y .
            "," .
            $this->z;

    }

}

Output:

100,64,200

__get()

Called when accessing inaccessible properties.

Example:

class User {

    private array $data = [];

    public function __get(
        string $name
    ) {

        return
            $this->data[$name]
            ?? null;

    }

}

Usage:

echo $user->name;

Even if property doesn't exist.

Real Example

Laravel uses this heavily.

Example:

$user->posts

Internally:

__get()

loads relation.

__set()

Called when assigning inaccessible properties.

Example:

class User {

    private array $data = [];

    public function __set(
        string $name,
        mixed $value
    ) {

        $this->data[$name]
            = $value;

    }

}

Usage:

$user->name =
    "Aayan";

__isset()

Called by:

isset()

Example:

public function __isset(
    string $name
)
{
    return isset(
        $this->data[$name]
    );
}

Usage:

isset(
    $user->name
);

__unset()

Called when:

unset()

is used.

Example:

public function __unset(
    string $name
)
{
    unset(
        $this->data[$name]
    );
}

Dynamic Property System

Visualization:

$user->name
      ↓
   __set()
      ↓
   internal array

Laravel models work similarly.

__call()

Called when calling inaccessible methods.

Example:

class User {

    public function __call(
        string $method,
        array $arguments
    ) {

        echo
            "Method:
            $method";

    }

}

Usage:

$user->hello();

Output:

Method: hello

Why Useful?

Create dynamic APIs.

Laravel Example

User::whereName(
    "Aayan"
);

Internally uses:

__call()

__callStatic()

Same as __call()

But for:

Static Methods

Example:

class User {

    public static function __callStatic(
        string $method,
        array $arguments
    ) {

    }

}

Usage:

User::findByName();

__invoke()

Makes object callable like a function.

Example:

class Hello {

    public function __invoke() {

        echo "Hello";

    }

}

Usage:

$hello =
new Hello();

$hello();

Output:

Hello

Real Example

Middleware systems often use:

$middleware(
    $request
);

__clone()

Called when object is cloned.

Example:

class User {

    public function __clone() {

        echo "Cloned";

    }

}

Usage:

$user2 =
clone $user1;

Why?

Objects are copied.

Sometimes IDs should reset.

Example:

public function __clone() {

    $this->id = null;

}

__sleep()

Older serialization method.

Called before:

serialize()

Example:

public function __sleep()
{
    return ["name"];
}

__wakeup()

Called after:

unserialize()

Example:

public function __wakeup() {

    $this->connect();

}

__serialize()

PHP 7.4+

Modern serialization method.

Example:

public function __serialize()
: array {

    return [

        "name" =>
            $this->name

    ];

}

__unserialize()

Example:

public function __unserialize(
    array $data
)
{
    $this->name =
        $data["name"];
}

Why Serialization Exists

Examples:

Caching
Sessions
Saving Objects
Queue Systems

__debugInfo()

Called when:

var_dump()

is executed.

Example:

public function __debugInfo()
{
    return [

        "name" => "Aayan"

    ];
}

Usage:

var_dump(
    $user
);

Real World Example

ORM Models​

Laravel models heavily use:

__get()
__set()
__call()

Dependency Containers​

Often use:

__invoke()

Service Providers​

Use:

__callStatic()

PocketMine Examples

Position Objects​

Could implement:

__toString()

Config Wrappers​

Can use:

__get()
__set()

Event Dispatchers​

Can use:

__invoke()

Visualization

Object
 │
 ├── __construct()
 ├── __get()
 ├── __set()
 ├── __call()
 ├── __invoke()
 ├── __clone()
 └── __destruct()

Common Beginner Mistakes

Abusing __get()​

Makes debugging difficult.

Creating Everything Dynamically​

Static code is easier to understand.

Overusing Magic Methods​

Too much magic:

Creates confusing code.

Good Usage

✅ ORMs

✅ Dynamic APIs

✅ Caching

✅ Service Containers

Bad Usage

❌ Everything hidden.

❌ Replacing normal methods.

❌ Making code impossible to understand.

Exercises

Exercise 1​

Create:

User

using:

__get()
__set()

Exercise 2​

Create:

Position

with:

__toString()

Exercise 3​

Create:

Logger

using:

__invoke()

Mini Project

Create:

Zyro User Model

Features:

Dynamic Attributes
Serialization
String Conversion
Method Overloading

Implement:

__get()
__set()
__serialize()
__toString()

Interview Questions

What are magic methods?​

Special methods automatically called by PHP.

Which magic method runs when object is created?​

__construct()

Which magic method runs when object becomes string?​

__toString()

Which method handles unknown properties?​

__get()
__set()

Which method makes objects callable?​

__invoke()

Which method handles cloning?​

__clone()

Summary

Magic Methods allow:

✅ Dynamic APIs

✅ Object Lifecycle Control

✅ Serialization

✅ Method Overloading

✅ Framework Features

✅ ORMs and Containers

They are extremely powerful but should be used carefully.

References

https://www.php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.magic.php

Next Chapter

➡ Enums

➡ Namespaces

➡ Autoloading

➡ Dependency Injection