What is the difference between isset() and __isset()?

Question

I need to know about magic function __isset() and normal function isset(). Actually what is the real difference between php language construct

Answer 1

Magic functions are automatically invoked (triggered) when something happens. Normal functions have to be specifically invoked by your php code.

In your case: __isset() will be automatically invoked when you have an isset() which is trying to get a non-accessible property.

Example:

root@folgore:/tmp/php# cat a.php 
<?php
class a {
    private $att1;
    public $att2;

    function __isset($field) {
        echo "__isset invoked for $field\n";
    }
}

$obj=new a();

// __isset will be triggered:
isset($obj->att1);

// __isset will not be triggered:
isset($obj->att2);

root@folgore:/tmp/php# php a.php 
__isset invoked for att1

Answer 2

First of all let me tell you what isset() function does. The isset() function checks whether the value has been set or is it null. The _isset() function is a magic method in PHP. Any function with a " _ " in the beginning is a magic method in PHP. Now, __isset() is invoked by calling isset() or empty() on inaccessible properties, by that I mean those properties that have not been defined in the class and are being explicitly defined at the run time. Here is a piece of code that should make you understand it better:

<?php
class PropertyTest
{
    /**  Location for overloaded data.  */
    private $data = array();

    /**  Overloading not used on declared properties.  */
    public $declared = 1;

    /**  Overloading only used on this when accessed outside the class.  */
    private $hidden = 2;

    public function __set($name, $value)
    {
        echo "Setting '$name' to '$value'\n";
        $this->data[$name] = $value;
    }

    public function __get($name)
    {
        echo "Getting '$name'\n";
        if (array_key_exists($name, $this->data)) {
            return $this->data[$name];
        }

        $trace = debug_backtrace();
        trigger_error(
            'Undefined property via __get(): ' . $name .
            ' in ' . $trace[0]['file'] .
            ' on line ' . $trace[0]['line'],
            E_USER_NOTICE);
        return null;
    }

    /**  As of PHP 5.1.0  */
    public function __isset($name)
    {
        echo "Is '$name' set?\n";
        return isset($this->data[$name]);
    }

    /**  As of PHP 5.1.0  */
    public function __unset($name)
    {
        echo "Unsetting '$name'\n";
        unset($this->data[$name]);
    }

    /**  Not a magic method, just here for example.  */
    public function getHidden()
    {
        return $this->hidden;
    }
}


echo "<pre>\n";

$obj = new PropertyTest;

$obj->a = 1;
echo $obj->a . "\n\n";

var_dump(isset($obj->a));
unset($obj->a);
var_dump(isset($obj->a));
echo "\n";

echo $obj->declared . "\n\n";

echo "Let's experiment with the private property named 'hidden':\n";
echo "Privates are visible inside the class, so __get() not used...\n";
echo $obj->getHidden() . "\n";
echo "Privates not visible outside of class, so __get() is used...\n";
echo $obj->hidden . "\n";
?>

Answer 3

in simple words, __isset() helps isset() to work over protected/private vars in class .

Example:

class test
{
    public $x = array();
}

in the above class you can do this isset($test->x['key']) as the $x is public

but here

class test
{
    protected $x = array();

    function __isset($key)
    {
        return isset($this->x[$key]);
    }
}

$x is protected and you cannot access it, so we created __isset() to help us use isset($x['key'])

you can say that __isset() is just a bridge for isset()

Answer 4

__isset is the magic method. Magic methods are the methods called internally.

Consider following code

<?php
// Declare a simple class
class TestClass
{
    public $foo;

    public function __construct($foo)
    {
        $this->foo = $foo;
    }

    public function __toString()
    {
        return $this->foo;
    }
}

$class = new TestClass('Hello');
echo $class;
?>

here _toString is magic method but you will not call that. When the line echo $class; is executed. PHP knows that now I should treat $class object as a string and to treat any object as the string call_toString method, if implemented in that class.

All magic methods called like this in indirect way.

Another example as follow

<?php
class CallableClass
{
    public function __invoke($x)
    {
        var_dump($x);
    }
}
$obj = new CallableClass;
$obj(5);
var_dump(is_callable($obj));
?>

Similarly, in above code , var_dump(is_callable($obj)); invokes __invoke magic method indirectly.

Answer 5

isset() is for variables and __isset() is for properties of a class.

Answer 6

isset()

It is a language construct that checks the initialization of variables or class properties:

$a = 10;

isset($a);     // true
isset($a, $b); // false

class Test
{
    public $prop = 10;
}

$obj = new Test;
isset($obj->prop); // true

---

__isset()

It is a magic method that is invoked when isset() or empty() check non-existent or inaccessible class property:

class Test
{
    public function __isset($name) {
        echo "Non-existent property '$name'";
    }
}

$obj = new Test;
isset($obj->prop); // prints "Non-existent property 'prop'" and return false

---

Difference:

           isset()                               __isset()

Language construct                    | Magic method
                                      |
Always return bool                    | Result depends on custom logic*
                                      |
Must be invoked in code               | Called automatically by event
                                      |
Unlimited number of parameters        | Has only one parameter
                                      |
Can be used in any scope              | Must be defined as method**
                                      |
Is a reserved keyword                 | Not a reserved keyword
                                      |
Can't be redefined (Parse error)      | Can be redefined in extended class***

__isset() result anyway will be automatically casted as bool.

Actually you can define custom function __isset() but it has nothing to do with the magic method.

See this example.

---

Magic Methods

Unlike common functions can be defined only in class scope and invoked automatically on specific events such as: inaccessible method invocation, class serialization, when unset() used on inaccessible properties and so on. See also this official documentation: Overloading.