note 116344 added to language.oop5.properties

In case this saves anyone any time, I spent ages working out why the following didn't work: class MyClass { private $foo = FALSE; public function __construct() { $this->$foo = TRUE; echo($this->$foo); } } $bar = new MyClass(); giving "Fatal error: Cannot access empty property in ...test_class.php on line 8" The subtle change of removing the $ before accesses of $foo fixes this: class MyClass { private $foo = FALSE; public function __construct() { $this->foo = TRUE; echo($this->foo); } } $bar = new MyClass(); I guess because it's treating $foo like a variable in the first example, so trying to call $this->FALSE (or something along those lines) which makes no sense. It's obvious once you've realised, but there aren't any examples of accessing on this page that show that. & Do not confuse php's version of properties with properties in other languages (C++ for example). In php, properties are the same as attributes, simple variables without functionality. They should be called attributes, not properties. Properties have implicit accessor and mutator functionality. I've created an abstract class that allows implicit property functionality. <?php abstract class PropertyObject { public function __get($name) { if (method_exists($this, ($method = 'get_'.$name))) { return $this->$method(); } else return; } public function __isset($name) { if (method_exists($this, ($method = 'isset_'.$name))) { return $this->$method(); } else return; } public function __set($name, $value) { if (method_exists($this, ($method = 'set_'.$name))) { $this->$method($value); } } public function __unset($name) { if (method_exists($this, ($method = 'unset_'.$name))) { $this->$method(); } } } ?> after extending this class, you can create accessors and mutators that will be called automagically, using php's magic methods, when the corresponding property is accessed. ---- Server IP: 72.52.91.14 Probable Submitter: 203.129.207.251 ---- Manual Page -- http://php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.properties.php Edit -- https://master.php.net/note/edit/116344 Del: integrated -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/116344/integrated Del: useless -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/116344/useless Del: bad code -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/116344/bad+code Del: spam -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/116344/spam Del: non-english -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/116344/non-english Del: in docs -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/116344/in+docs Del: other reasons-- https://master.php.net/note/delete/116344 Reject -- https://master.php.net/note/reject/116344 Search -- https://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php