Error Identifier: empty.property
Every error reported by PHPStan has an error identifier. Here’s a list of all error identifiers. In PHPStan Pro you can see the error identifier next to each error and filter errors by their identifiers.
Code example #
<?php declare(strict_types = 1);
class Config
{
public bool $enabled = true;
public function check(): void
{
if (empty($this->enabled)) {
echo 'Disabled';
}
}
}
Why is it reported? #
The property used inside empty() has a type that PHPStan can fully evaluate for emptiness. When the property type is always falsy or never falsy, the empty() check is either always true or always false, indicating a logic error or a check that should be written more explicitly.
In the example above, $this->enabled is typed as bool. PHPStan reports this because it can determine the exact behavior of empty() on the property’s type, and the check should be expressed as an explicit comparison instead of relying on empty().
How to fix it #
Replace empty() with an explicit comparison that expresses the intended check:
<?php declare(strict_types = 1);
class Config
{
public bool $enabled = true;
public function check(): void
{
- if (empty($this->enabled)) {
+ if (!$this->enabled) {
echo 'Disabled';
}
}
}
If the property can legitimately be unset or uninitialized, adjust the type to reflect that:
<?php declare(strict_types = 1);
class Config
{
- public bool $enabled = true;
+ public ?bool $enabled = null;
public function check(): void
{
- if (empty($this->enabled)) {
+ if ($this->enabled === null || !$this->enabled) {
echo 'Disabled';
}
}
}
How to ignore this error #
You can use the identifier empty.property to ignore this error using a comment:
// @phpstan-ignore empty.property
codeThatProducesTheError();You can also use only the identifier key to ignore all errors of the same type in your configuration file in the ignoreErrors parameter:
parameters:
ignoreErrors:
-
identifier: empty.property