The __CLASS__ magic constant nicely complements the get_class() function. Sometimes you need to know both: - name of the inherited class - name of the class actually executed Here's an example that shows the possible solution: <?php class base_class { function say_a() { echo "'a' - said the " . __CLASS__ . "<br/>"; } function say_b() { echo "'b' - said the " . get_class($this) . "<br/>"; } } class