What is an abstract class in PHP

An abstract class in PHP is a class that cannot be instantiated on its own and is meant to be inherited by other classes. It can contain abstract methods, which are methods declared without a body that must be implemented by subclasses, as well as regular methods that may have implementations. This structure allows for defining a common interface and shared functionalities across different subclasses.

Abstract classes are useful in scenarios where you want to provide a common base for other classes that share certain common traits but also require specific implementations.

Here's an example of using an abstract class in PHP:


    <?php
    abstract class Animal {
        // Abstract method
        abstract protected function makeSound();
        
        // Regular method
        public function sleep() {
            return "Sleeping...";
        }
    }

    class Dog extends Animal {
        public function makeSound() {
            return "Bark";
        }
    }

    class Cat extends Animal {
        public function makeSound() {
            return "Meow";
        }
    }

    $dog = new Dog();
    echo $dog->makeSound(); // Outputs: Bark
    echo $dog->sleep();     // Outputs: Sleeping...

    $cat = new Cat();
    echo $cat->makeSound(); // Outputs: Meow
    echo $cat->sleep();     // Outputs: Sleeping...
    ?>

What is an abstract class in PHP

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What is an abstract class in PHP

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