Can PHP's Nullsafe Operator Simplify Nested Property Access?

Introducing the Nullsafe Operator in PHP

The nullsafe operator (?->) allows developers to write code that safely accesses object properties and methods without the need for explicit null checks. This simplifies code and enhances readability, especially in complex object hierarchies.

Query

Can we rewrite the following statement using the nullsafe operator?

echo $data->getMyObject() != null ? $data->getMyObject()->getName() : '';

Answer

From PHP 8 onwards, we can utilize the nullsafe operator in conjunction with the null coalescing operator (?) to achieve the desired behavior.

Solution

echo $data->getMyObject()?->getName() ?? '';

The ?-> operator breaks the chain of operators upon encountering a null value, effectively returning null and terminating the expression. Operators that inspect object properties or invoke methods are considered part of the chain, including:

• Array access ([]), property access (->), nullsafe property access (?->), static property access (::), method call (->), nullsafe method call (?->), and static method call (::)

Additionally, if subsequent operators in the chain are not considered part of the chain (e.g., the concatenation operator in the example below), they will not be short-circuited:

$string = $data?->getObject()->getName() . " after";

In this case, if $data is null, the code will result in:

$string = null . " after";

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