`return $this;` design pattern or anti-pattern?

Question

I\'ve seen many times Zend Framework using return $this; pattern style - and from my point of view:

• Pro: seems its quite not

Answer 1

Returning this allows you to chain calls and set values. It is very useful for configuring some object (see Fluent interface). You can express very easily what you want (and you can use different return types to achieve what you want).