1.2.801. No Direct Call To Magic Method

PHP features magic methods, which are methods related to operators.

Magic methods, such as __get(), related to =, or __clone(), related to clone, are supposed to be used in an object environment, and not with direct call.

It is recommended to use the magic method with its intended usage, and not to call it directly. For example, typecast to string instead of calling the __toString() method.

Accessing those methods in a static way is also discouraged.

<?php
// Write
  print $x->a;
// instead of
  print $x->__get('a');

class Foo {
    private $b = "secret";

    public function __toString() {
        return strtoupper($this->b);
    }
}

$bar = new Foo();
echo (string) $bar;

?>

See also Magical PHP: __call.

1.2.801.1. Specs

Short name	Classes/DirectCallToMagicMethod
Rulesets	All, Analyze, CE, CI-checks
Exakat since	0.8.4
PHP Version	All
Severity	Major
Time To Fix	Quick (30 mins)
Precision	Very high
Available in	Entreprise Edition, Community Edition, Exakat Cloud