staticClassAccess.privateConstant

Code example

<?php declare(strict_types = 1);

class Foo
{
    private const FOO = 1;

    public function doFoo(): int
    {
        return static::FOO;
    }
}

Why is it reported?

Accessing a private constant through static:: is unsafe in a non-final class. The static keyword uses late static binding, which resolves to the actual class at runtime. If a child class extends Foo, static::FOO in the child's context would try to access Foo::FOO, but private constants are not visible to child classes. This leads to a fatal error at runtime.

How to fix it

Use self:: instead of static:: to access private constants, since they cannot be overridden in child classes:

 <?php declare(strict_types = 1);

 class Foo
 {
     private const FOO = 1;

     public function doFoo(): int
     {
-        return static::FOO;
+        return self::FOO;
     }
 }

Alternatively, make the class final if it is not intended to be extended:

 <?php declare(strict_types = 1);

-class Foo
+final class Foo
 {
     private const FOO = 1;

     public function doFoo(): int
     {
         return static::FOO;
     }
 }