Extend PHP Array with __toString()

Question

Is there a way to extend the native PHP array with a __toString() function/method?

I would like to be able to do

$a = array($x, $y, $z);
echo $a;

This should neither complain with a Array to string conversion notice nor the dull output of Array but instead do whatever I implement in the __toString() method of the array.

(In the __toString I would do something like iterate over the array and call __toString() on each element and concatenate that together to a string that describes the whole array.)

(I know that this can be done through e.g. a wrapper object, that's not the question. I want to tweak PHP on a more subtle level.)

Answer 1

Php arrays are not objects, it's an ordered map. The most relevant documentation is maybe the one concerning Arrays

As mike said, the only way to add a method for array manipulation is using ArrayObject which is closer to array than what you can find in other languages.

But:

ArrayObject implies the use of Iterator, but it's OO.