# IPAddress `Xmf\IPAddress` is an IP address object. To the extent possible, all methods are IP version agnostic -- the method will perform the same function for either a IPv4 or IPv6 address. ## new IPAddress(*$ip*) Creates a new IPAddress object using the specified string as the IP address. The address may be any valid presentation form for IPv4 or IPv6 addresses. ## IPAddress::fromRequest() Use the IP address specified in the server request data to instantiate a IPAddress object. ## asReadable() Returns the presentation (human readable) form of address. The address will be returned in canonical textual representation -- dotted quad for IPv4, and [RFC5952](http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5952) for IPv6. If the IP address provided at instantiation was invalid, **false** will be returned. ## asBinary() Returns the IP address as a binary string (network form.) The returned string is 4 bytes in length for IPv4 addresses, and 16 bytes long for IPv6. If the IP address provided at instantiation was invalid, **false** will be returned. ## ipVersion() Return the version of the IP address as a integer, either 4 or 6. If the IP address provided at instantiation was invalid, **false** will be returned. ## sameSubnet(*$matchIp*, *$netMask4*, *$netMask6*) Returns as a boolean the answer to this question, "Is this IP address in the same subnet as address supplied in $matchIp?" The subnet masks are the number of bits of the address to be considered as the subnet. For IPv4, this can be an integer from 0 to 32, and for IPv6 the range is 0 to 128. The method takes separate net masks for both [IPv4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv4_subnetting_reference) and [IPv6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6_subnetting_reference) and will select the appropriate one to allow checking a policy against request input with minimal method calls. In addition to a differing subnet, a *false* return can indicate that the IP addresses being compared are different versions or that one or both of the addresses are invalid. NB - Subnet matching has been used historically to verify that a consistent IP address was associated with each transaction for a session. As the Internet has evolved, this type of technique becomes less and less useful, and can be quite unfriendly to visitors. Developments such as the proliferation of mobile devices, NAT and Proxy networks, and privacy techniques such as TOR, all make it very likely to see large changes in the reported client IP address from a single user session in a short amount of time. Use with caution for well defined purposes. If your XOOPS is behind a proxy, you probably want to configure [ProxyCheck](/xmf-cookbook/reference/proxycheck.md) to report the client address. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://xoops.gitbook.io/xmf-cookbook/reference/ipaddress.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.