Lots Of Silly Arguments

By Greg Korba

<?php

class Foo {
    public function __invoke(): self {
        return new self();
    }
    
    public function bar(): self {
        return $this();
    }
}

var_dump(new Foo()()()()->bar()()()()());

PHP 8.4 drops the requirement of parenthesis around the new operator: it is possible to directly call a method on it.

Then, it is also possible to use an object as a method, by creating the __invoke() magic method. In this case, it returns a new instance of the class.

Finally, it is possible to call a function whose name is the result of a previous call.

The final result is quite impressive.

See Also

• __invoke() (PHP manual)
• Lots of Silly Arguments [Try me]

PHP Features

• invoke
• new

Last updated: 10 September 2026