C

call time

The time at which a function or method is invoked

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

A web design technique that separates the content and presentation of a web page. Style sheets are cascading because they can be applied from an external file, within the style section of a web page, or inline, and each lower level overrides any style characteristics defined previously.

child class

See derived class.

class

A complex data type that typically includes both data members and methods; the most fundamental element of OOP

class variable

A static data member belonging to the class as a whole and not to any specific instance

client programmer

The user of a class rather than the creator or originator of a class; sometimes referred to as a user programmer

const

A keyword, new to PHP 5, used to define constant class data

constructor

A special function called when objects are created. In PHP 4 the constructor uses the class name. This style of constructor still works in PHP 5, but the recommended practice is to define the method __construct.