Dynamic class variables

Question

Does PHP have a method of having auto-generated class variables? I think I've seen something like this before but I'm not certain.

public class TestClass {
    private $data = array();

    public function TestClass() {
        $this->data['firstValue'] = "cheese";
    }
}

The $this->data array is always an associative array but they keys change from class to class. Is there any viable way to access $this->data['firstValue'] from $this->firstValue without having to define the link?

And if it is, are there any downsides to it?

Or is there a static method of defining the link in a way which won't explode if the $this->data array doesn't contain that key?

Answer 1

See here: http://www.php.net/manual/en/language.oop5.overloading.php

What you want is the "__get" method. There is an example for what you need on the link.