The __invoke Method

The magic method __invoke allows an instance of a class to be called as a function. When an object is called as a function, PHP automatically calls this method. The method can accept parameters and return a value, just like a regular function.

Syntax

class MyClass {
	public function __invoke(...$args) {
		// implementation
	}
}

Example

Let's create a class with the __invoke method and call the object as a function:

<?php
	class Greeter {
		public function __invoke($name) {
			return "Hello, $name!";
		}
	}
	
	$greet = new Greeter();
	echo $greet('John');
?>

Code execution result:

'Hello, John!'

Example

Using __invoke with multiple parameters:

<?php
	class Calculator {
		public function __invoke($a, $b) {
			return $a + $b;
		}
	}
	
	$calc = new Calculator();
	echo $calc(5, 3);
?>

Code execution result:

8

Example

Checking if an object is callable using is_callable:

<?php
	class Test {}
	
	$obj1 = new Test();
	$obj2 = new class { public function __invoke() {} };
	
	var_dump(is_callable($obj1));
	var_dump(is_callable($obj2));
?>

Code execution result:

false
true

The __invoke Method

Syntax

Example

Example

Example

See Also