# Zend_Server_Reflection

## Introduction

`Zend_Server_Reflection` provides a standard mechanism for performing function and class introspection for use with server classes. It is based on PHP 5's Reflection API, augmenting it with methods for retrieving parameter and return value types and descriptions, a full list of function and method prototypes (i.e., all possible valid calling combinations), and function or method descriptions.

Typically, this functionality will only be used by developers of server classes for the framework.

## Usage

Basic usage is simple:

    $class    = Zend_Server_Reflection::reflectClass('My_Class');
    $function = Zend_Server_Reflection::reflectFunction('my_function');

    // Get prototypes
    $prototypes = $reflection->getPrototypes();

    // Loop through each prototype for the function
    foreach ($prototypes as $prototype) {

        // Get prototype return type
        echo "Return type: ", $prototype->getReturnType(), "\n";

        // Get prototype parameters
        $parameters = $prototype->getParameters();

        echo "Parameters: \n";
        foreach ($parameters as $parameter) {
            // Get parameter type
            echo "    ", $parameter->getType(), "\n";
        }
    }

    // Get namespace for a class, function, or method.
    // Namespaces may be set at instantiation time (second argument), or using
    // setNamespace()
    $reflection->getNamespace();

`reflectFunction()` returns a `Zend_Server_Reflection_Function` object; `reflectClass()` returns a `Zend_Server_Reflection_Class` object. Please refer to the API documentation to see what methods are available to each.