Guide to PHP and MySQL (University at Buffalo Version)
Chapter 14: Object-Oriented PHP
Classes and Objects
A class is a collection of variables and functions working with these variables. Variables are defined by var and functions by function. Basic class definitions begin with the keyword class, followed by a class name, followed by a pair of curly braces which enclose the definitions of the properties and methods belonging to the class. You can use the PHP class keyword to create an object.
class Methods (Functions)
You can then use methods (functions) to perform a task such as "setter" (accessor) and "getter" (mutator) methods. Class variables are referred to as "properties".