Function & Method Naming Convention

Also Known As

TL;DR

Explanation

PSR-1 mandates camelCase for method names. Effective method names follow verb-noun patterns: getUser(), saveOrder(), isActive(), hasPermission(). Boolean methods use is/has/can/should prefix. Getters use get prefix; setters use set. Factory methods use make/create/build. PHPUnit test methods use test prefix (testUserCanLogin) or @test annotation. Avoid abbreviations (getUsrNm → getUserName) and avoid generic names (process, handle, run — what does it do?).

Common Misconception

Why It Matters

Common Mistakes

• snake_case methods: get_user_by_id() — PHP is camelCase for methods.
• No verb prefix: user() instead of getUser() or findUser().
• Boolean methods without is/has/can: active() instead of isActive().
• Overly abbreviated names: getUsrNm() — spell it out: getUserName().

Code Examples

// Wrong conventions:
class UserService {
    public function get_user(int $id) { }   // snake_case
    public function User(int $id) { }       // Uppercase, no verb
    public function active(): bool { }      // No is/has/can prefix
    public function DoSomething() { }       // Uppercase verb, vague
    public function proc(array $d) { }     // Abbreviations
}

// PSR-1 camelCase with clear verb-noun:
class UserService {
    public function findById(int $id): ?User { }
    public function isActive(User $user): bool { }
    public function canDelete(User $user, Resource $r): bool { }
    public function createFromRequest(Request $r): User { }
    public function updateEmailAddress(User $u, string $email): void { }
}

References

• ↗ https://www.php-fig.org/psr/psr-1/#42-properties

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