1.2.632. Law of Demeter

The law of Demeter specifies a number of constraints to apply to methodcalls from within an method, so as to keep dependencies to a minimum.

<?php

class x {
    function foo($arg) {
        $this->foo();    // calling oneself is OK
        $this->x->bar(); // calling one's property is OK
        $arg->bar2();    // calling arg's methods is OK

        $local = new y();
        $z = $y->bar3();      // calling a local variable is OK

        $z->bar4();      // calling a method on a previous result is wrong
    }
}

?>

See also Do your objects talk to strangers? and Law of Demeter.

1.2.632.1. Specs

Short name	Classes/DemeterLaw
Rulesets	All, Changed Behavior
Exakat since	1.6.7
PHP Version	All
Severity	Minor
Time To Fix	Quick (30 mins)
Precision	Very high
Available in	Entreprise Edition, Exakat Cloud