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When and why should I use public, private, and protected functions and variables inside a class? What is the difference between them?
Examples:
// Public public $variable; public function doSomething() { // ... } // Private private $variable; private function doSomething() { // ... } // Protected protected $variable; protected function doSomething() { // ... } 
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The difference between public and protected is that public can be accessed from outside class but protected cannot be accessed from outside class.
private - only available to be accessed within the class that defines them. protected - accessible in the class that defines them and in other classes which inherit from that class.
Public variables, are variables that are visible to all classes. Private variables, are variables that are visible only to the class to which they belong. Protected variables, are variables that are visible only to the class to which they belong, and any subclasses.
You use:
public scope to make that property/method available from anywhere, other classes and instances of the object.
private scope when you want your property/method to be visible in its own class only.
protected scope when you want to make your property/method visible in all classes that extend current class including the parent class.
If you don't use any visibility modifier, the property / method will be public.
More: (For comprehensive information)
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