How to Create an Object Without Class in PHP ?

In PHP, creating an object without a class refers to creating an instance of the stdClass, a built-in PHP class for creating generic objects. It allows developers to instantiate objects without explicitly defining a custom class, often used for dynamic data storage.

In this article, we will create an object without using a class in PHP.

Using new stdClass()

The new stdClass() approach in PHP allows you to create a generic object without defining a custom class. After creating an instance of stdClass, properties can be dynamically added, making it useful for temporary data storage or simple object structures.

Syntax:

// Creating an object
$object = new stdClass();

// Property added to the object
$object->property = 'Property_value';

Example : In this example we demonstrates the creation of an object using stdClass. It dynamically adds two properties, name and address, to the object, and then prints the object using print_r().

<?php

    // Create an Object
    $object = new stdClass();

    // Added property to the object
    $object->name = 'GeeksforGeeks';
    $object->address = 'Noida';

    // Print the object
    print_r($object);

?>

stdClass Object
(
    [name] => GeeksforGeeks
    [address] => Noida
)

Converting an Array to an Object

The Converting an Array to an Object approach in PHP involves typecasting an associative array into an object. Each key in the array becomes a property of the object, allowing dynamic access to the values through object notation.

Syntax:

// Declare an array
$arr = array(
    key1 => val1,
    key2 => val2, 
    ...
);

// Typecast to convert an array into object
$obj = (object) $arr;

Example : In this example we converts an associative array into an object using typecasting. Each array key becomes an object property. The print_r() function is used to display the resulting object with its properties.

<?php

      // Create an associative array
      $studentMarks = array(
          "Biology"=>95, 
          "Physics"=>90,  
          "Chemistry"=>96, 
          "English"=>93,  
          "Computer"=>98
      );

      // Use typecast to convert
      // array into object
      $obj = (object) $studentMarks;

      // Print the object
      print_r($obj);

?>

stdClass Object
(
    [Biology] => 95
    [Physics] => 90
    [Chemistry] => 96
    [English] => 93
    [Computer] => 98
)

Using json_decode with an Empty Object

The json_decode() function in PHP is used to decode a JSON string into a PHP object. By passing an empty JSON object (‘{}’), you can create an object without a predefined class, and dynamically add properties as needed.

Example: In this example we use json_decode() to convert an empty JSON object into a PHP object. It dynamically adds properties property1 and property2, then displays the object using print_r().

<?php
$json = '{}'; // Empty JSON object
$obj = json_decode($json); // Convert JSON to PHP object
$obj->property1 = "value1"; // Dynamically add properties
$obj->property2 = "value2";

print_r($obj); // Print the object
?>

stdClass Object
(
    [property1] => value1
    [property2] => value2
)