Asymmetric Visibility: The "Read-Only" Solution We Needed

Theodoros Kafantaris

Δημοσιεύτηκε στις December 06, 2025

One of the most common requirements in Object-Oriented Programming is: "I want everyone to be able to read this status, but only the class itself should be able to change it."

Previously, we had to make the property private and create a public getter. Now, PHP supports Asymmetric Visibility.

The Old Way:

Code

                    class Order {
    private string $status = 'pending';

    public function getStatus(): string {
        return $this->status;
    }
}

The Modern Way:

Code

                    class Order {
    // Public to read, Private to set.
    public private(set) string $status = 'pending';

    public function complete(): void {
        $this->status = 'completed'; // This works (internal)
    }
}

$order = new Order();
echo $order->status; // Works!
$order->status = 'shipped'; // Error! Cannot set property.

Why use it? It is perfect for DTOs (Data Transfer Objects) and Entities. You get the safety of encapsulation with the simplicity of public properties.