Why is my getter magic method using a class instance as an index?

Question

here's my getter:

public function __get($field)
    {
     if ($field == 'userId'):
      return $this->uid;
     else:
      return $this->fields[$field];
     endif;
    }

here's my constructor

public function __construct()
    {
     $this->uid = null;
     $this->fields = array(
      'username' => '',
      'password' => '',
      'firstname' => '',
      'lastname' => '',
      'email' => '',
      'is_active' => false
     );
      $this->session = Session::Instance();
      $this->profiler = new Profiler();
      $this->encrypt = new Encrypt();
    }

everytime i access this function:

private function handle_pass($password, $username=null, $encrypt=true)
    {
     if ($encrypt) :
      return $this->encrypt->encode($password);
     else:
      $query = ORM::factory('user');
      $result = $query
       ->select('password')
       ->where('username', $username)
       ->find();
      $compare_pass = $this->encrypt->decode($password);
      return ($compare_pass === $result->password);
     endif;
    }

i get this error

application/libraries/User.php: Undefined index: encrypt // this is the error message
application/libraries/User.php:User->__get( encrypt ) // this is the last method executed

Answer 1

Is encrypt defined as a public variable in the class? If not, the logic of your __get() function demands that it be read from $this->fields['encrypt'], which is never set, and is what's producing that error.

Answer 2

Use get_object_vars on the object before attempting to access the encrypt property to see if it really exists. Something else could be going on.

var_dump(get_object_vars($myClass));

Edit:

After looking at your code. The get() method should never be called since it is only invoked when a referenced property is inaccessible. Are you declaring $encrypt as private? Are you declaring it at all? What makes you think get() should be invoked? (Formatter goes crazy when I try to put underscores infront of get() with a link).

class myClass()
{
  public $encrypt;

  public function __construct() 
  {
    $this->encrypt = new Encrypt();
  }

  public function __get($property)
  {
    return $this->$property;
  }

  public function handle_pass()
  {
    $this->encrypt->decode(); 
    // Since $encrypt is public, __get() will not be invoked
  }
}