LowFile-scopePHP Plug & play

Handle null values with coalescing operators

Use ?? and the nullsafe operator (?->) to provide defaults and avoid notices when values may be null.

Why this matters

Prevents undefined/index notices and clarifies default behavior.

Side-by-side examples engineers can pattern-match during review.

Avoid

$email = $user['profile']['email'];

Prefer

$email = $user['profile']['email'] ?? null;
$name  = $userObj?->profile?->name ?? 'Anonymous';

Bad

$x = $a['k'];

Good

$x = $a['k'] ?? 'n/a';

From the same buckets as this rule.

Critical
Avoid equality operators in loop termination conditions
Check if loops use equality operators (== or !=) in termination conditions. These can lead to infinite loops if the condition is never met exactly. Instead, use relational operators like < or > for safer loop termination.
error-handlingreadability-refactor
Critical
Avoid Returning Null in Non-Async Task Methods
Returning null from a Task or Task<T> method causes a NullReferenceException if awaited. Use Task.CompletedTask or Task.FromResult<T>(null) instead.
error-handlingreadability-refactor+1
Critical
Avoid Using Boolean Expressions in `except` Statements
Detect `except` clauses that use `or` or `and` to catch multiple exceptions. This does not work as intended. Recommend using a tuple of exceptions instead.
error-handlingstack-python