What does this mean? “Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM”

Question

T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM sounds really exotic, but most certainly absolutely nonsense to me. I traced it all down to this lines of code:

Answer 1

The error is down to an "inappropriate use" of the double colon operator:

return $cnf::getConfig($key);

as by using the :: you're attempting to call a static method of the class itself. In your example you want to call a non-static method on an instantiated object.

I think what you want is:

return $cnf->getConfig($key);

Answer 2

In your example

return $cnf::getConfig($key)

Probably should be:

return $cnf->getConfig($key)

And make getConfig not static

Answer 3

T_PAAMAYIM_NEKUDOTAYIM is the double colon scope resolution thingy PHP uses - ::

Quick glance at your code, I think this line:

return $cnf::getConfig($key);

should be

return $cnf->getConfig($key);

The first is the way to call a method statically - this code would be valid if $cnf contained a string that was also a valid class. The -> syntax is for calling a method on an instance of a class/object.

Answer 4

According to wikipedia, it means a "double colon" scope resolution operator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scope_resolution_operator

Answer 5

It's the name for the :: operator

Wikipedia

Answer 6

Just my two cents for future visitors who have this problem.

This is the correct syntax for PHP 5.3, for example if you call static method from the class name:

MyClassName::getConfig($key);

If you previously assign the ClassName to the $cnf variable, you can call the static method from it (we are talking about PHP 5.3):

$cnf = MyClassName;
$cnf::getConfig($key);

However, this sintax doesn't work on PHP 5.2 or lower, and you need to use the following:

$cnf = MyClassName;
call_user_func(array($cnf, "getConfig", $key, ...otherposibleadditionalparameters... ));

Hope this helps people having this error in 5.2 version (don't know if this was openfrog's version).