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Reference

The StandardAutoloader

Overview

Laminas\Loader\StandardAutoloader is designed as a PSR-0-compliant autoloader. It assumes a 1:1 mapping of the namespace+classname to the filesystem, wherein namespace separators and underscores are translated to directory separators. The following statement illustrates how resolution works:

$filename = str_replace(
    ['_', '\\'],
    DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR,
    $classname
) . '.php';

The StandardAutoloader requires that you explicitly register namespace/path pairs (or vendor prefix/path pairs), and will only load a file if it exists within the given path. Multiple pairs may be provided.

As a measure of last resort, you may also use the StandardAutoloader as a "fallback" autoloader — one that will look for classes of any namespace or vendor prefix on the include_path. This practice is not recommended, however, due to performance implications.

Finally, as with all autoloaders in laminas-loader, the StandardAutoloader is capable of registering itself with PHP's SPL autoloader registry.

Vocabulary: Namespaces vs. Vendor Prefixes

In terms of autoloading, a "namespace" corresponds to PHP's own definition of namespaces.

A "vendor prefix" refers to the practice, popularized in PHP versions prior to 5.3, of providing a pseudo-namespace in the form of underscore-separated words in class names. As an example, the class Phly_Couch_Document uses a vendor prefix of Phly, and a component prefix of Phly_Couch, but it is a class sitting in the global namespace.

The StandardAutoloader is capable of loading either namespaced or vendor prefixed class names, but treats them separately when attempting to match them to an appropriate path.

Quick Start

Basic use of the StandardAutoloader requires registering namespace/path pairs. This can either be done at instantiation, or via explicit method calls after the object has been initialized. Calling register() will register the autoloader with the SPL autoloader registry.

Manual Configuration

use Laminas\Loader\StandardAutoloader;

// This example assumes the StandardAutoloader is autoloadable.
$loader = new StandardAutoloader();

// Register the "Phly" namespace:
$loader->registerNamespace('Phly', APPLICATION_PATH . '/../library/Phly');

// Register the "Scapi" vendor prefix:
$loader->registerPrefix('Scapi', APPLICATION_PATH . '/../library/Scapi');

// Optionally, specify the autoloader as a "fallback" autoloader;
// this is not recommended.
$loader->setFallbackAutoloader(true);

// Register with spl_autoload:
$loader->register();

Configuration at Instantiation

The StandardAutoloader may also be configured at instantiation. Please note:

  • The argument passed may be either an array or a Traversable object.
  • The argument passed should also be a valid argument for passing to the setOptions() method.

The following is equivalent to the previous example.

use Laminas\Loader\StandardAutoloader;

$loader = new StandardAutoloader([
    'namespaces' => [
        'Phly' => APPLICATION_PATH . '/../library/Phly',
    ],
    'prefixes' => [
        'Scapi' => APPLICATION_PATH . '/../library/Scapi',
    ],
    'fallback_autoloader' => true,
]);

// Register with spl_autoload:
$loader->register();

Configuration Options

The StandardAutoloader defines the following options.

namespaces

An associative array of namespace/path pairs. The path should be an absolute path or path relative to the calling script, and contain only classes that live in that namespace (or its subnamespaces).

prefixes

An associative array of vendor prefix/path pairs. The path should be an absolute path or path relative to the calling script, and contain only classes that begin with the provided vendor prefix.

fallback_autoloader

A boolean value indicating whether or not this instance should act as a "fallback" autoloader (i.e., look for classes of any namespace or vendor prefix on the include_path). By default, false.

autoregister_laminas is deprecated

One other option is available to the StandardAutoloader: autoregister_laminas. We do not document it any longer, as it is no longer relevant.

Starting with the 2.5.0 release of Laminas, the framework package itself is a "metapackage", defining only a composer.json file listing the packages for each component.

As such, there is no single path in which all Laminas files live, making the autoregister_laminas flag useless for versions starting with 2.5.0; it will only register the laminas-loader path!

If you are using this feature, you should update your code. We recommend using Composer's autoloader for autoloading Laminas classes.

Available Methods

__construct

__construct(array|Traversable $options = null) : void

Create a new instance of the object.

If $options is non-null, the argument is passed to setOptions().

setOptions

setOptions(array|Traversable $options) : void

Set object state based on provided options.

Recognized keys are detailed under Configuration options, with the following behaviors:

setFallbackAutoloader

setFallbackAutoloader(bool $flag) : void

Takes a boolean flag indicating whether or not to act as a fallback autoloader when registered with the SPL autoloader.

isFallbackAutoloader

isFallbackAutoloader() : bool

Indicates whether or not this instance is flagged as a fallback autoloader.

registerNamespace

registerNamespace(string $namespace, string $directory) : void

Register a namespace with the autoloader, pointing it to a specific directory on the filesystem for class resolution. For classes matching that initial namespace, the autoloader will then perform lookups within that directory.

registerNamespaces

registerNamespaces(array|Traversable $namespaces) : void

Register multiple namespaces with the autoloader, iterating through $namespaces and passing each key and item to registerNamespace().

registerPrefix

registerPrefix(string $prefix, string $directory) : void

Register a vendor prefix with the autoloader, pointing it to a specific directory on the filesystem for class resolution. For classes matching that initial vendor prefix, the autoloader will then perform lookups within that directory.

registerPrefixes

registerPrefixes(array|Traversable $prefixes) : void

Register many vendor prefixes with the autoloader, traversing $prefixes and passing each key/value pair to registerPrefix().

autoload

autoload(string $class) : false|string

Attempts to load the class specified. Returns a boolean false on failure, or a string indicating the class loaded on success.

register

register() : void

Registers the autoload() method of the current instance with spl_autoload_register().