The __toString Method

The __toString method is a magic method in PHP that defines how an object should behave when an attempt is made to convert it to a string. This method is automatically called when the object is used in a context where a string is expected, for example, when outputting via echo or during concatenation. The method must return a string representation of the object.

Syntax

public function __toString(): string
{
	// return string representation
}

Example

Let's create a simple class with the __toString method:

<?php
	class User
	{
		public function __toString(): string
		{
			return 'User object';
		}
	}

	$user = new User();
	echo $user;
?>

Code execution result:

'User object'

Example

A more complex example returning object properties:

<?php
	class Product
	{
		private $name = 'Laptop';
		private $price = 1000;

		public function __toString(): string
		{
			return $this->name . ' - 
 . $this->price;
		}
	}

	$product = new Product();
	echo 'Product: ' . $product;
?>

Code execution result:

'Product: Laptop - $1000'

The __toString Method

Syntax

Example

Example

See Also