1.2.576. Inherited Class Constant Visibility

Visibility of class constant must be public, even when overwritten.

This was not checked until PHP 8.3, where it is now a Fatal Error. When the interface and the class are defined in different files, the error appears at execution time.

<?php

interface i {
     public const I = 1;
     public const J = 2;
}

class x implements i {
     // This should not be possible
     private const I = 10;
     public const J = 20;
}

?>

1.2.576.1. Related PHP errors

• Access level to x::I must be public (as in interface i)

1.2.576.2. Connex PHP features

• visibility

• lazy-loading

1.2.576.2.1. Suggestions

• Set the constant visibility in the class to public

• Remove the visibility of the constant in the class

• Remove the implementation of the interface in the class

1.2.576.2.2. Specs

Short name	Interfaces/InheritedClassConstantVisibility
Rulesets	All, CompatibilityPHP82, CompatibilityPHP83
Exakat since	2.5.3
PHP Version	8.2
Severity	Minor
Time To Fix	Quick (30 mins)
Precision	Very high
Available in	Entreprise Edition, Exakat Cloud