When Do PHP's __get and __set Magic Methods Actually Get Called?

PHP __get and __set Magic Methods: Understanding Invocation and Limitations

The __get and __set magic methods in PHP are designed to handle object property access and modification when the properties are not publicly accessible. However, some misconceptions may arise regarding their behavior.

Inaccessible Properties

__get and __set are invoked when the property or method is inaccessible. In the example provided, $bar is a public property, which is accessible by default. Therefore, the magic methods are not triggered.

Getter and Setter Substitute

Magic methods are not intended to replace getters and setters. They provide a fallback mechanism for handling inaccessible properties. They are primarily designed for error handling and should not be solely relied upon for property access and modification.

Performance Considerations

Utilizing magic methods can result in slower execution speeds compared to using explicit getters, setters, or direct property access. This is because magic methods involve additional method calls and object-oriented introspection.

Example Modification

To illustrate the proper usage of magic methods, let's modify the example to use a private property:

class foo {

    private $bar;
    public function __get($name) {

        echo "Get:$name";
        return $this->$name;
    }

    public function __set($name, $value) {

        echo "Set:$name to $value";
        $this->$name = $value;
    }
}

$foo = new foo();
echo $foo->bar; // Invokes __get()
$foo->bar = 'test'; // Invokes __set()
echo "[$foo->bar]"; // Outputs [test]

In this example, the $bar property is now private, making it inaccessible by default. As a result, the __get and __set methods are correctly invoked when accessing and modifying the property.

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