note 129816 added to language.oop5.magic

If you're like me, you like to expand PHP's capabilities. Then sometimes you find yourself make traits with magic methods, simply because it's the only way (even though not recommended). If you ever find yourself in that situation, you need to realize that you cannot reference the magic method in a trait like you can with inheritance. <?php class myClass { use traitA; function __get($name) { traitA::__get($name) ; // Doesn't work, error parent::__get($name) ; // Doesn't work: a trait is not a parent, error (or worse) } } ?> The way to deal with that or even two traits with the same magic method (again, normally you shouldn't end up there, but in special occasions, it does happen), the only way I found to handle those is by defining the functionality of the magic method separately in a method. Like such: <?php trait traitA { function __get($name) { if ( $rtn = $this->__getTraitA($name) ) return $rtn; else ... // error handling } function __getTraitA($name) { if ( $allOk) return $stuff; else return null; } } ?> This works if there are no other __get magic methods. However as soon as you want a __get() in the class itself the __get in the trait gets overwritten. So you will have to do: <?php class myClass { use traitA; function __get($name) { // Code to execute before attempting __getTraitA if ( $rtn = $this->__getTraitA($name) ) return $rtn; // Optional additional code after __getTraitA // Error handling code if no value is returned } } ?> You can even have two traits with __get which would normally result in an error, if you build a __get in the class as well: <?php class myClass { use traitA, traitB; function __get(string $propName) { $r = $this->__getTraitA($propName) ?: $this->__getTraitB($propName); if ($r) return $r; //error handling } } ?> The __get here overwrites both __get's in the traits, so the error is gone. This way the traits work in any case and any combination of classes and traits. ---- Server IP: 45.112.84.4 Probable Submitter: 80.90.5.137 (proxied: 85.145.75.206) ---- Manual Page -- https://php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.magic.php Edit -- https://main.php.net/note/edit/129816 Del: integrated -- https://main.php.net/note/delete/129816/integrated Del: useless -- https://main.php.net/note/delete/129816/useless Del: bad code -- https://main.php.net/note/delete/129816/bad+code Del: spam -- https://main.php.net/note/delete/129816/spam Del: non-english -- https://main.php.net/note/delete/129816/non-english Del: in docs -- https://main.php.net/note/delete/129816/in+docs Del: other reasons-- https://main.php.net/note/delete/129816 Reject -- https://main.php.net/note/reject/129816 Search -- https://main.php.net/manage/user-notes.php