Question

CakePHP-2.0 has this=>

// Even in your cakephp 2.1.x we have this format
    <?php
    class PostsController extends AppController {
        public $helpers = array ('Html','Form');
        public $name = 'Posts';

        public function index() {
            $this->set('posts', $this->Post->find('all'));
        }
    }
    ?>

CakePHP-1.3.10 had this=>

<?php
class PostsController extends AppController {
    var $helpers = array ('Html','Form');
    var $name = 'Posts';

    function index() {
        $this->set('posts', $this->Post->find('all'));
    }
}
?>

What’s the difference between using public and using var ?

Answer 1

var is a deprecated visibility keyword that is functionally equal to public.

From the docs:

Note: The PHP 4 method of declaring a variable with the var keyword is still supported for compatibility reasons (as a synonym for the public keyword). In PHP 5 before 5.1.3, its usage would generate an E_STRICT warning.

As it’s been replaced by the keyword public, the new cake is following the new standard. See working example here.