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Date: Fri, 1 May 2026 11:37:43 +0200
Message-ID: <CAOWwgp=sOZKN-ZoC-jUVa32tQHiqa8V+xP6t2Ozte+jmtih02A@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: [PHP-DEV] [RFC] __exists(), a magic method for distinguishing "missing" from "set to null"
To: PHP Internals List <internals@lists.php.net>
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From: nicolas.grekas+php@gmail.com (Nicolas Grekas)

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Dear internals,

It's my pleasure to submit this new RFC to yours.
Please have a look and let me know:
https://wiki.php.net/rfc/exists-magic-method

TL;DR: I'm proposing a new opt-in magic method:

    public function __exists(string $name): bool;

It'd let userland tell "set to null" apart from "missing" on objects, it'd
restore
isset() <=> ?? equivalence on magic properties, and it'd fixe GH-12695 as a
corollary. It's forward-compatible as a regular method on PHP <= 8.5
(probeable
via method_exists()), and would be magic on 8.6+.

Cheers,
Nicolas

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<div dir=3D"ltr">Dear internals,<div><br></div><div>It&#39;s my pleasure=C2=
=A0to submit this new RFC to yours.</div><div>Please have a look and let=C2=
=A0me know:</div><div><a href=3D"https://wiki.php.net/rfc/exists-magic-meth=
od">https://wiki.php.net/rfc/exists-magic-method</a></div><div><br></div><d=
iv>TL;DR: I&#39;m proposing a new opt-in magic method:</div><div><br>=C2=A0=
 =C2=A0 public function __exists(string $name): bool;<br><br>It&#39;d let u=
serland tell &quot;set to null&quot; apart from &quot;missing&quot; on obje=
cts, it&#39;d restore<br>isset() &lt;=3D&gt; ?? equivalence on magic proper=
ties, and it&#39;d fixe GH-12695 as a<br>corollary. It&#39;s forward-compat=
ible=C2=A0as a regular method on PHP &lt;=3D 8.5 (probeable<br>via method_e=
xists()), and would be magic on 8.6+.<br><br>Cheers,<br>Nicolas<br></div></=
div>

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