PHP Destructor

In PHP, a destructor is a special method that gets called automatically when an object is destroyed or its reference count decreases to zero. It is used to perform any cleanup tasks that need to be done before the object is destroyed.

Syntax

The syntax for defining a destructor in PHP is:

public function __destruct() {
    // Cleanup code here
}

Example

class MyClass {
    public function __destruct() {
        echo "Object destroyed!";
    }
}

$obj = new MyClass();
unset($obj); // Object destroyed!

Output

Object destroyed!

Explanation

In the above example, we define a class MyClass with a destructor method __destruct(). The destructor method simply echos the message "Object destroyed!".

We then create a new object of the class MyClass and then call the unset() function to destroy the object. When the object is destroyed, the destructor method gets called automatically and the message "Object destroyed!" is output.

Use

Destructors are used to perform any cleanup tasks that need to be done before an object is destroyed. This can include closing database connections, releasing file handles, or freeing memory.

Important Points

• A destructor is a special method that gets called automatically when an object is destroyed or its reference count decreases to zero.
• The syntax for defining a destructor is similar to that of a constructor, but with a different method name __destruct().
• Destructors are used to perform any cleanup tasks that need to be done before an object is destroyed, such as closing database connections, releasing file handles, or freeing memory.

Summary

In this tutorial, we learned about destructors in PHP. We saw the syntax for defining a destructor, as well as an example demonstrating its use. We also discussed the importance of destructors in performing cleanup tasks before an object is destroyed.