#47476 [NEW]: "Internally overloading" null properties

From: nullhility at gmail dot com Operating system: PHP version: 5.2.8 PHP Bug Type: Feature/Change Request Bug description: "Internally overloading" null properties Description: ------------ I was attempting to overload some object members when I came to the realization that members defined as unaccessible from inside an object are ones that have not been initialized at all. I was attempting to call a defined but not yet set private member from a method in the class, I expected the __get definition to execute and hopefully do a late member cast but PHP saw it as accessible, this caused a problem because the method was calling a NULL value. The way I see it is that a NULL, aside from still being a value itself, is pretty inaccessible as an actual value. My main concern is that calling an undefined member returns NULL but is also defined as inaccessible, yet calling a defined (but unset/not set) private/protected from within the object, though returning null, is accessible. In the end I know it's about scope and correctness, but is this issue up for change? Reproduce code: --------------- http://nullhility.pastebin.com/m486cded3 Expected result: ---------------- Hello World! Hello Universe! Hello Everyone! Actual result: -------------- Hello World! Hello Everyone! -- Edit bug report at http://bugs.php.net/?id=47476&edit=1 -- Try a CVS snapshot (PHP 5.2): http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=trysnapshot52 Try a CVS snapshot (PHP 5.3): http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=trysnapshot53 Try a CVS snapshot (PHP 6.0): http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=trysnapshot60 Fixed in CVS: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=fixedcvs Fixed in CVS and need be documented: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=needdocs Fixed in release: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=alreadyfixed Need backtrace: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=needtrace Need Reproduce Script: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=needscript Try newer version: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=oldversion Not developer issue: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=support Expected behavior: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=notwrong Not enough info: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=notenoughinfo Submitted twice: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=submittedtwice register_globals: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=globals PHP 4 support discontinued: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=php4 Daylight Savings: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=dst IIS Stability: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=isapi Install GNU Sed: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=gnused Floating point limitations: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=float No Zend Extensions: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=nozend MySQL Configuration Error: http://bugs.php.net/fix.php?id=47476&r=mysqlcfg