what is stdClass in PHP?

In PHP, stdClass is a built-in class that represents an object with no properties or methods. It is often used as a placeholder when an object is needed, but the specific type of object is not important.

For example, you might use stdClass when you are working with data that is stored in a JSON format and needs to be converted to an object. The stdClass class allows you to create an empty object and add properties to it dynamically, like this:

<?php

$object = new stdClass();

$object->property1 = 'value1';
$object->property2 = 'value2';

echo $object->property1; // Outputs 'value1'

You can also use stdClass as a return type for functions that return an object, like this:

<?php

function getObject(): stdClass
{
    $object = new stdClass();
    $object->property1 = 'value1';
    return $object;
}

$object = getObject();
echo $object->property1; // Outputs 'value1'

Note that stdClass is a generic object type and does not have any specific properties or methods. If you need an object with a specific set of properties and methods, you should define a custom class.