What is a class abstract class and interface in php?

Abstract class:

• Abstract class comes under partial abstraction.
• Abstract classes can maintain abstract methods and non abstract methods.
• In abstract classes, we can create the variables.
• In abstract classes, we can use any access specifier.
• By using 'extends' keyword we can access the abstract class features from derived class.
• Multiple inheritance is not possible.

Interface:

• Interface comes under fully abstraction.
• Interfaces can maintain only abstract methods.
• In interfaces, we can't create the variables.
• In interface, we can use only public access specifier.
• By using 'implement' keyword we can get interface from derived class.
• By using interfaces multiple inheritance is possible.

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PHP - What are Interfaces?

Interfaces allow you to specify what methods a class should implement.

Interfaces make it easy to use a variety of different classes in the same way. When one or more classes use the same interface, it is referred to as "polymorphism".

Interfaces are declared with the interface keyword:

Syntax

interface InterfaceName {
  public function someMethod1();
  public function someMethod2($name, $color);
  public function someMethod3() : string;
}
?>

PHP - Interfaces vs. Abstract Classes

Interface are similar to abstract classes. The difference between interfaces and abstract classes are:

• Interfaces cannot have properties, while abstract classes can
• All interface methods must be public, while abstract class methods is public or protected
• All methods in an interface are abstract, so they cannot be implemented in code and the abstract keyword is not necessary
• Classes can implement an interface while inheriting from another class at the same time

PHP - Using Interfaces

To implement an interface, a class must use the implements keyword.

A class that implements an interface must implement all of the interface's methods.

Example

interface Animal {
  public function makeSound();
}

class Cat implements Animal {
  public function makeSound() {
    echo "Meow";
  }
}

$animal = new Cat();
$animal->makeSound();
?>

Try it Yourself »

From the example above, let's say that we would like to write software which manages a group of animals. There are actions that all of the animals can do, but each animal does it in its own way.

Using interfaces, we can write some code which can work for all of the animals even if each animal behaves differently:

Example

// Interface definition
interface Animal {
  public function makeSound();
}

// Class definitions
class Cat implements Animal {
  public function makeSound() {
    echo " Meow ";
  }
}

class Dog implements Animal {
  public function makeSound() {
    echo " Bark ";
  }
}

class Mouse implements Animal {
  public function makeSound() {
    echo " Squeak ";
  }
}

// Create a list of animals
$cat = new Cat();
$dog = new Dog();
$mouse = new Mouse();
$animals = array($cat, $dog, $mouse);

// Tell the animals to make a sound
foreach($animals as $animal) {
  $animal->makeSound();
}
?>

Try it Yourself »

Example Explained

Cat, Dog and Mouse are all classes that implement the Animal interface, which means that all of them are able to make a sound using the makeSound() method. Because of this, we can loop through all of the animals and tell them to make a sound even if we don't know what type of animal each one is.

Since the interface does not tell the classes how to implement the method, each animal can make a sound in its own way.

Also, just would like to add here that just because any other OO language has some kind of interfaces and abstraction too doesn't mean they have the same meaning and purpose as in PHP. The use of abstraction/interfaces is slightly different while interfaces in PHP actually don't have a real function. They merely are used for semantic and scheme-related reasons. The point is to have a project as much flexible as possible, expandable and safe for future extensions regardless whether the developer later on has a totally different plan of use or not.

If your English is not native you might lookup what Abstraction and Interfaces actually are. And look for synonyms too.

And this might help you as a metaphor:

INTERFACE

Let's say, you bake a new sort of cake with strawberries and you made up a recipe describing the ingredients and steps. Only you know why it's tasting so well and your guests like it. Then you decide to publish your recipe so other people can try that cake as well.

The point here is

- to make it right
- to be careful
- to prevent things which could go bad (like too much strawberries or something)
- to keep it easy for the people who try it out
- to tell you how long is what to do (like stiring)
- to tell which things you CAN do but don't HAVE to

Exactly THIS is what describes interfaces. It is a guide, a set of instructions which observe the content of the recipe. Same as if you would create a project in PHP and you want to provide the code on GitHub or with your mates or whatever. An interface is what people can do and what you should not. Rules that hold it - if you disobey one, the entire construct will be broken.

ABSTRACTION

To continue with this metaphor here... imagine, you are the guest this time eating that cake. Then you are trying that cake using the recipe now. But you want to add new ingredients or change/skip the steps described in the recipe. So what comes next? Plan a different version of that cake. This time with black berries and not straw berries and more vanilla cream...yummy.

This is what you could consider an extension of the original cake. You basically do an abstraction of it by creating a new recipe because it's a lil different. It has a few new steps and other ingredients. However, the black berry version has some parts you took over from the original - these are the base steps that every kind of that cake must have. Like ingredients just as milk - That is what every derived class has.

Now you want to exchange ingredients and steps and these MUST be defined in the new version of that cake. These are abstract methods which have to be defined for the new cake, because there should be a fruit in the cake but which? So you take the black berries this time. Done.

There you go, you have extended the cake, followed the interface and abstracted steps and ingredients from it.

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