PHP Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_OBJECT_OPERATOR

I got this error when debugging my code:

PHP Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_OBJECT_OPERATOR in order.php on line 72

Here is a snippet of the code (starting on line 72):

$purchaseOrder = new PurchaseOrderFactory->instance();
$arrOrderDetails = $purchaseOrder->load($customerName);

Answer

Unfortunately, it is not possible to call a method on an object just created with new before PHP 5.4.

In PHP 5.4 and later, the following can be used:

$purchaseOrder = (new PurchaseOrderFactory)->instance();

In previous versions, you have to call the method on a variable:

$purchaseFactory = new PurchaseOrderFactory;
$purchaseOrder = $purchaseFactory->instance();

Note: The later is probably even more useful/wise even after you've upgraded to PHP 5.4 because those two lines can be better separated and there is less code containing a hard-encoded classname, here the name of the factory class PurchaseOrderFactory. This will make you more fluent maintaining the code over time.