Language: asymmetric visibility — public+private(set)/public+protected(set) must compile fatal (zend_compile.c) #7099

Category

language

Problem

PHP 8.4 asymmetric property visibility allows only private(set) or protected(set) on a property — not combined with an explicit get visibility modifier (public, protected, or private). Zend rejects invalid combos at compile time:

Multiple access type modifiers are not allowed

This compiler accepts invalid declarations such as public private(set) and public protected(set), then runs user code. That diverges from php-src and lets illegal APIs ship.

php-src-strict: valid private(set) string $x (get public by default) must continue to work; this issue is invalid modifier pairs only.

php-src reference

• php/php-src Zend/zend_compile.c — property visibility / asymmetric set flag validation
• php/php-src Zend/zend_language_parser.y — property_modifier grammar

Repro (failure today)

repro-asymmetric-modifiers.php:

<?php
class A { public private(set) string $x = 'a'; }
echo "compiled\n";

./script/docker-exec.sh -- bash -lc 'source script/php-env.sh
php bin/vm.php repro-asymmetric-modifiers.php; echo vm_exit=$?
php -l repro-asymmetric-modifiers.php; echo zend_parse=$?
'

Scope (this repo)

PHP-in-PHP: compile-time guard in lib/; no new runtime/*.c branches.

Done when

• Both repro classes fail compile with Zend-equivalent message before user code runs
• Valid private(set) / protected(set) without extra get modifier still compile
• ./script/ci-fast.sh --filter asymmetric_visibility_invalid_modifiers green on VM
• bin/jit.php --lint and bin/compile.php --lint on the PHPT case exit non-zero

Related

• Stdlib: ReflectionProperty isPrivateSet()/isProtectedSet()/isPublicSet() — asymmetric visibility probes missing (PHP 8.4, ext/reflection/php_reflection.c) #6977, Stdlib: ReflectionProperty::getSettableType()/getReadableType() — PHP 8.4 asymmetric visibility probes missing (ext/reflection/php_reflection.c) #7053, Stdlib: ReflectionProperty::getAsymmetricVisibility() — static properties return wrong/null (ext/reflection/php_reflection.c) #6772 (reflection/runtime asymmetric probes) · Epic: Self-host critical path — compiler compiles itself (M3→M5) #1492