PHP5.3 non-static variables in scope behaving static

Question

Do PHP5.3 have any known bug issue that makes non static variables in scope behave Static ? I donno why in a if{}Scope I've

{
  echo $_not_static;
  $_not_static = 5;
}

First Time it fires E_NOTICE as it should But second time it prints 5. I was Struggling with this for 3+ hours but not getting any hint of a fault from my side.

Answer 1

Variables are function-scoped, regardless on the block they are in, and that's in any PHP version. If you declare a variable inside an if block, and you enter there, it will stay declared after the if finishes, for the entire function scope.