If you cannot modify the original class and extending it is not an option either, you can use the ReflectionProperty interface.
The phptoolcase library has a handy method for this:
$value = PtcHandyMan::getProperty( $your_object , ‘propertyName’'propertyName'); Static property from a singleton class:
$value = PtcHandyMan::getProperty( ‘myCLassName’ 'myCLassName', ‘propertyName’'propertyName'); You can find the tool here: http://phptoolcase.com/guides/ptc-hm-guide.html