Same Method Field Names

ID

php.same_method_field_names

Severity

info

Remediation Complexity

medium

Remediation Risk

low

Remediation Effort

medium

Resource

Code Smell

Language

Php

Tags

code_smell, naming

Description

Reports a property whose name collides with a method declared on the same class. Both regular and constructor-promoted properties are checked, and the comparison is case-insensitive.

Rationale

PHP keeps methods and properties in separate symbol tables, so the same identifier may name both at once. The collision is legal but confusing: at a use site $obj→name reads the property while $obj→name() calls the method, and the two differ only by a pair of parentheses. Readers must keep both members in mind and the documentation has to explain which name is intended, so the shared name is a maintenance burden with no upside.

<?php
class Widget
{
    private int $value;        // FLAW — shares its name with the method value()
    private string $label;     // OK — no method named label

    public function value(): int
    {
        return $this->value;
    }
}

Remediation

Rename one of the colliding members so the property and the method have distinct names, for example keep the method value() and rename the property to $currentValue.

References