Check if a class constant exists

Question

How can I check if a constant is defined in a PHP class?

class Foo {
    const BAR = 1;
}

Is there something like property_exists() or method_exists() for class constants? Or can I just use defined("Foo::BAR")?

Answer 1

You can use that function:

function constant_exists($class, $name){
    if(is_string($class)){
        return defined("$class::$name");
    } else if(is_object($class)){
        return defined(get_class($class)."::$name");
    }
    return false;
}

Or alternative version using ReflectionClass

function constant_exists($class, $name) {
    if(is_object($class) || is_string($class)){
        $reflect = new ReflectionClass($class);
        return array_key_exists($name, $reflect->getConstants());
    }
    return false;
}

Answer 2

You have 3 ways to do it:

defined()

[PHP >= 4 - most retro-compatible way]

$class_name = get_class($object); // remember to provide a fully-qualified class name
$constant = "$class_name::CONSTANT_NAME";
$constant_value = defined($constant) ? $constant : null;

ReflectionClass

[PHP >= 5]

$class_reflex = new \ReflectionClass($object);
$class_constants = $class_reflex->getConstants();
if (array_key_exists('CONSTANT_NAME', $class_constants)) {
    $constant_value = $class_constants['CONSTANT_NAME'];
} else {
    $constant_value = null;
}

ReflectionClassConstant

[PHP >= 7.1.0]

$class_name = get_class($object); // fully-qualified class name
try {
    $constant_reflex = new \ReflectionClassConstant($class_name, 'CONSTANT_NAME');
    $constant_value = $constant_reflex->getValue();
} catch (\ReflectionException $e) {
    $constant_value = null;
}

There is no real better way. Depends on your needs and use case.

Answer 3

You can check if a constant is defined with the code below:

<?php
if(defined('className::CONSTANT_NAME')){
  //defined
}else{
  //not defined
}

Answer 4

Yes, just use the class name in front of the constant name.

http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.defined.php#106287