title: what is "$this" in php?
body: <blockquote>
    <p><strong>Possible Duplicate:</strong><br>
    <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1523479/what-does-the-variable-this-mean-in-php">What does the variable $this mean in PHP?</a>  </p>
  </blockquote>
  
  
  
  <p>I know this is extremely basic. I am watching tutorials on YouTube about CakePHP and PHP and all of them keep using "$this", but none of them actually say what it is or what it is used for. I think it is a variable, but what does it contain, and why do all of the functions have to be run from it? Is it the current class? I read <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/151969/php-self-vs-this">here</a> that "$this" is different from self though, so I am not sure if this is the case.</p>