Name Resolution Rules

Next, let’s talk about PHP name resolution rules. That means: how PHP figures out what code to run for the given name. If you look at the PHP Manual, they give you a techie write-up that likely will confuse you. Essentially, here’s what you need to know:

• How you declare the function is the starting point. If you include the fully qualified name, you are telling PHP exactly which function you want; whereas, if you leave off the namespace, then it walks through its process ordering to figure out which function to run.
• You can name using:
  • Unqualified name: no backslash or namespace, i.e. just the function
  • Qualified name: the full namespace + function but without the starting backslash
  • Fully qualified name: the starting backslash + full namespace + function
  • Relative name: its relative to the current namespace, e.g. Sandbox\get_the_ID() when used in KnowTheCode\InsOutsPHPNamespacing resolves to KnowTheCode\InsOutsPHPNamespacing\Sandbox\get_the_ID()

Let’s walk through it in this episode.