1.2.130. Checks Property Existence

This analysis reports checks property existence.

In PHP 8.2, non-specified properties are discouraged : they should always be defined in the class code. When this guideline is applied, properties always exists, and a call to property_exists() is now useless.

Some situations are still legit : + When the class is stdClass, where no property is initially defined. This may be the case of JSON data, or arrays cast to objects. + When the class uses magic methods, in particular __get(), __set() and __isset(). In this analysis, isset() and property_exists() are both used to detect this checking behavior. property_exists() is actually the only method to actually check the existence, since isset() will confuse non-existing properties and null.

While the behavior is deprecated in PHP 8.2, it is recommended to review older code and remove it. It will both ensure forward compatibility and cleaner, faster local code.

<?php

class x {
    private $a = 1;

    function foo() {
        $this->cache = $this->a + 1;
    }

}

?>

1.2.130.1. Specs

Short name	Classes/ChecksPropertyExistence
Rulesets	All, CompatibilityPHP82
Exakat since	2.3.3
PHP Version	All
Severity	Minor
Time To Fix	Quick (30 mins)
Precision	High
Features	stdclass, property
Related rule	Undefined Properties
Available in	Entreprise Edition, Exakat Cloud