phanalist

E0013: Private Method Not Being Called

In plain English: This rule finds private methods inside your classes that are never actually called anywhere in that class.

Why it matters: Dead code clutters your codebase, confuses other developers reading the class, and leaves behind abandoned helper logic that is tested or maintained for no reason.

❌ The Bad Example

class OrderProcessor {
    public function process(Order $order): void {
        $this->validateOrder($order);
    }

    private function validateOrder(Order $order): void {
        // ...
    }

    // Unused private method left over from refactoring
    private function oldFormattingHelper(string $data): string {
        return strtoupper($data);
    }
}

✅ The Good Example

class OrderProcessor {
    public function process(Order $order): void {
        $this->validateOrder($order);
    }

    private function validateOrder(Order $order): void {
        // ...
    }
}

What the rule checks

• Scans all classes for methods marked private.
• Inspects all method calls ($this->methodName()) within the class.
• Reports any private method that is never referenced in any method body.

When it does not report

• When the private method is called at least once inside the class.
• When the method is public or protected (as they might be called externally).

How to fix

• Delete the unused private method if it is no longer needed.
• If it was meant to be used, wire it up correctly in your code.

Configuration

E0013 has no configuration options and is enabled by default.

Junior Engineer’s Rule of Thumb:

If a private helper method is no longer used after a refactor, delete it! Don’t leave dead code lingering in your classes.

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