# is_a

(PHP 4 >= 4.2.0, PHP 5)

is_a — Checks if the object is of this class or has this class as one of its parents

### Description

bool is_a ( object `$object` , string `$class_name` )

Checks if the given `object` is of this class or has this class as one of its parents.

> Note: The is_a() function is deprecated as of PHP 5 in favor of the instanceof type operator.

### Parameters

`object`

  The tested object

`class_name`

  The class name

### Return Values

Returns `TRUE` if the object is of this class or has this class as one of its parents, `FALSE` otherwise.

### Examples

Example#1 is_a() example

`<?php
// define a class
class WidgetFactory
{
var $oink = 'moo';
}
// create a new object
$WF = new WidgetFactory();
if (is_a($WF, 'WidgetFactory')) {
echo "yes, \$WF is still a WidgetFactory\n";
}
?>`

Example#2 Using the instanceof operator in PHP 5

`<?php
if ($WF instanceof WidgetFactory) {
echo 'Yes, $WF is a WidgetFactory';
}
?>`

### See Also

- get_class()
- get_parent_class()
- is_subclass_of()