The `ext-reflection` API is designed to inspect static details of a code-base, as well as reading and manipulating runtime state and calling internal details of objects that are otherwise inaccessible.
These methods are most notably:
While breaking encapsulation principles that allow for safe coding practices, these methods are extremely valuable to tools like:
Infrastructural instrumentation is often required to do things that are in direct conflict with encapsulation itself.
The 4 methods listed above change behavior depending on the only mutable state within the scope of `ext-reflection` classes, which is an “accessible” flag. This “accessibility” flag is steered by:
Attempting to use any of the above listed methods without configuring accessibility first will lead to an exception being thrown. For example:
class Foo { private $bar = 'a'; } (new ReflectionProperty(Foo::class, 'bar'))->getValue();
Fatal error: Uncaught ReflectionException: Cannot access non-public property Foo::$bar in <SNIP>
By having `ReflectionProperty#setAccessible()` and `ReflectionMethod#setAccessible()`, any consumer of a `ReflectionMethod` or `ReflectionProperty` that is given by a third party must ensure that `#setAccessible()` is called:
function doSomethingWithState(MyObject $o, ReflectionProperty $p) : void { $p->setAccessible(true); // wasteful safety check doSomethingWith($p->getValue($o)); }
In addition to that, any developer that is intentionally using the reflection API (after having evaluated its trade-off) will have to use this obnoxious syntax in order to use it at its fullest:
$p = new ReflectionProperty(MyClass::class, 'propertyName'); $p->setAccessible(true); // now $p is usable
This RFC proposes to:
After the RFC is successfully accepted/implemented, the following code should no longer throw, improving therefore the ergonomics around reflection.
class Foo { private $bar = 'a'; } (new ReflectionProperty(Foo::class, 'bar'))->getValue();
In order to ease migration to PHP 8.1, and minimize runtime side-effects, a deprecation is explicitly avoided in this RFC.
Instead, a deprecation should be introduced when a new/separate RFC plans for the removal of `ReflectionProperty#setAccessible()` and `ReflectionMethod#setAccessible()`.
Such RFC will be raised after the release of PHP 8.1, if this RFC is accepted.
Although of minimal concern, it is true that some behavior will change:
8.1
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Accept turning `ReflectionProperty#setAccessible()` and `ReflectionMethod#setAccessible()` into a no-op? (yes/no)
This is a Yes/No vote, requiring a 2/3 majority. Voting started on 2021-06-23 and ends on 2021-07-07.