Language: self/parent outside class — "Cannot use … in the global scope" vs Zend "Cannot access … when no class scope is active" (Zend/zend_execute.c)

[PurHur]

Category

Language · php-src-strict · scope resolution Error message

Problem

self:: / parent:: evaluated with no active class scope (e.g. eval('self::foo();') at top level) must Error with Zend’s wording. VM already matches for static::, but self/parent use a different string.

Verified 2026-08-08 @ 4bbede110e vs php:8.4-cli 8.4.24.

Repro	Zend 8.4.24	VM PROFILE=8.4
eval('self::foo();')	Cannot access "self" when no class scope is active	Cannot use "self" in the global scope ❌
eval('parent::foo();')	Cannot access "parent" when no class scope is active	Cannot use "parent" in the global scope ❌
eval('static::foo();') (control)	Cannot access "static" when no class scope is active	same ✅

php-src reference

• php/php-src Zend/zend_execute.c — ZEND_FETCH_CLASS_* / scope errors for self/parent/static
• Related closed: Language: parent::class outside class scope — wrong compile fatal message (zend_compile.c) #5024 (parent::class compile fatal message — different surface)

PHP implementation target

• Scope-resolution Error construction in lib/ / VM — align self/parent messages with the existing static path (Zend “Cannot access … when no class scope is active”)
• PHP-in-PHP only

Repro

./script/docker-exec.sh -- bash -lc 'cat > /tmp/self_parent_scope.php <<'"'"'PHP'"'"'
<?php
try { eval("self::foo();"); } catch (Throwable $e) { echo "self:", $e->getMessage(), "\n"; }
try { eval("parent::foo();"); } catch (Throwable $e) { echo "parent:", $e->getMessage(), "\n"; }
try { eval("static::foo();"); } catch (Throwable $e) { echo "static:", $e->getMessage(), "\n"; }
PHP
PHP_COMPILER_PROFILE=8.4 php bin/vm.php /tmp/self_parent_scope.php'

Done when

• self/parent/static outside class scope match Zend Error messages on VM/JIT
• Compliance or test/repro/ guard
• php-src-strict; no php-compiler-strict shortcut

Trust snapshot (this maintainer run)

• user_release_ready: yes · inventory OK 7252/7252 · no open worker PRs

[PurHur]

claim: worker-lane-C — starting this run

[PurHur]

Merged #29101

Verification: PHP_COMPILER_PROFILE=8.4 VM/JIT issue repro matches Zend 8.4 (Cannot access "self"|"parent"|"static" when no class scope is active). Compliance SelfParentCallNoClassScope{VM,JIT}Test OK; compile-time ::class PseudoClassGlobalScopeCompileTest still expects Cannot use … in the global scope.