PHP class method named print... not allowed?

Question

I am writing a Controller for Codeigniter with a method named "print". The name is important, because I would like to be able to access the page at "http://www.mysite.com/mycontroller/print".

However, I cannot do this because there is the syntax error:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_PRINT, expecting T_STRING

Is there any special syntax to make the PHP interpreter "think" that when I say:

class MyClass extends Controller {
    function print() {
        // print method here
    }
}

... that I am talking about a method with a T_STRING name of "print" and not the T_PRINT that it is expecting it to be?

Answer 1

This won't work because print is a language construct in php. I know it looks like a function, but it is treated the same way as (for example) function, while, include, and so on.

Answer 2

I found that you can get around the naming restriction for some reserved words in PHP 5.3 using the __call magic method.

public function __call( $name, $arguments )
{
  $fn = 'do_' . $name;
  if ( method_exists( $this, $fn ) )
  {
    return call_user_func_array( array( $this, fn), $arguments );
  }
  else
  {
    throw new Exception( 'Method "' . $name . '" does not exist.' );
  }
}

protected function do_print( /* $arg1, $arg2,...*/ )
{
  //whatever
}

I'm not saying this is necessarily a good idea, but it does allow you to make a call like $foo->print().

I really see no reason why reserved words can't be used as method names for classes. I haven't been able to come up with an ambiguous case that would need to be solved.