diff --git a/admin/uploaduser.php b/admin/uploaduser.php
index 48b067eea2c..5b31f5c8fdb 100755
--- a/admin/uploaduser.php
+++ b/admin/uploaduser.php
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ if ($formdata = $mform->is_cancelled()) {
                             }
                         }
                     }
-                    if ((property_exists($column, $existinguser) and property_exists($column, $user)) or in_array($column, $PRF_FIELDS)) {
+                    if ((property_exists($existinguser, $column) and property_exists($user, $column)) or in_array($column, $PRF_FIELDS)) {
                         if ($updatetype == 3 and $existinguser->$column !== '') {
                             //missing == non-empty only
                             continue;
diff --git a/course/modedit.php b/course/modedit.php
index e65444df8bb..3a7ae149b44 100644
--- a/course/modedit.php
+++ b/course/modedit.php
@@ -521,7 +521,7 @@ if ($mform->is_cancelled()) {
         foreach($outcomes as $outcome) {
             $elname = 'outcome_'.$outcome->id;
 
-            if (property_exists($elname, $fromform) and $fromform->$elname) {
+            if (property_exists($fromform, $elname) and $fromform->$elname) {
                 // so we have a request for new outcome grade item?
                 if ($items) {
                     foreach($items as $item) {
diff --git a/grade/edit/letter/index.php b/grade/edit/letter/index.php
index daf023a3f3f..9c0915b8f8f 100644
--- a/grade/edit/letter/index.php
+++ b/grade/edit/letter/index.php
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ if (!$edit) {
             $gradelettername = 'gradeletter'.$i;
             $gradeboundaryname = 'gradeboundary'.$i;
 
-            if (property_exists($gradeboundaryname, $data) and $data->$gradeboundaryname != -1) {
+            if (property_exists($data, $gradeboundaryname) and $data->$gradeboundaryname != -1) {
                 $letter = trim($data->$gradelettername);
                 if ($letter == '') {
                     continue;
diff --git a/grade/edit/tree/category.php b/grade/edit/tree/category.php
index e3cbdd1ff14..0c37f8c43d3 100644
--- a/grade/edit/tree/category.php
+++ b/grade/edit/tree/category.php
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ if ($mform->is_cancelled()) {
 
     $convert = array('grademax', 'grademin', 'gradepass', 'multfactor', 'plusfactor', 'aggregationcoef');
     foreach ($convert as $param) {
-        if (property_exists($param, $itemdata)) {
+        if (property_exists($itemdata, $param)) {
             $itemdata->$param = unformat_float($itemdata->$param);
         }
     }
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ if ($mform->is_cancelled()) {
     }
 
     // Handle null decimals value - must be done before update!
-    if (!property_exists('decimals', $itemdata) or $itemdata->decimals < 0) {
+    if (!property_exists($itemdata, 'decimals') or $itemdata->decimals < 0) {
         $grade_item->decimals = null;
     }
 
diff --git a/grade/edit/tree/grade.php b/grade/edit/tree/grade.php
index 71ec86f49b5..c662fdc56e4 100644
--- a/grade/edit/tree/grade.php
+++ b/grade/edit/tree/grade.php
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ if ($mform->is_cancelled()) {
     }
 
     // the overriding of feedback is tricky - we have to care about external items only
-    if (!property_exists('feedback', $data) or $data->feedback == $data->oldfeedback) {
+    if (!property_exists($data, 'feedback') or $data->feedback == $data->oldfeedback) {
         $data->feedback       = $old_grade_grade->feedback;
         $data->feedbackformat = $old_grade_grade->feedbackformat;
     }
diff --git a/grade/edit/tree/item.php b/grade/edit/tree/item.php
index deffd46f029..1ce936c0dab 100644
--- a/grade/edit/tree/item.php
+++ b/grade/edit/tree/item.php
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ if ($mform->is_cancelled()) {
 
     $convert = array('grademax', 'grademin', 'gradepass', 'multfactor', 'plusfactor', 'aggregationcoef');
     foreach ($convert as $param) {
-        if (property_exists($param, $data)) {
+        if (property_exists($data, $param)) {
             $data->$param = unformat_float($data->$param);
         }
     }
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ if ($mform->is_cancelled()) {
     $grade_item->outcomeid = null;
 
     // Handle null decimals value
-    if (!property_exists('decimals', $data) or $data->decimals < 0) {
+    if (!property_exists($data, 'decimals') or $data->decimals < 0) {
         $grade_item->decimals = null;
     }
 
diff --git a/grade/edit/tree/outcomeitem.php b/grade/edit/tree/outcomeitem.php
index aff2c934298..518f111334b 100644
--- a/grade/edit/tree/outcomeitem.php
+++ b/grade/edit/tree/outcomeitem.php
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ if ($data = $mform->get_data()) {
         $data->aggregationcoef = 0;
     }
 
-    if (property_exists('calculation', $data)) {
+    if (property_exists($data, 'calculation')) {
         $data->calculation = grade_item::normalize_formula($data->calculation, $course->id);
     }
 
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ if ($data = $mform->get_data()) {
 
     $convert = array('gradepass', 'aggregationcoef');
     foreach ($convert as $param) {
-        if (property_exists($param, $data)) {
+        if (property_exists($data, $param)) {
             $data->$param = unformat_float($data->$param);
         }
     }
diff --git a/grade/lib.php b/grade/lib.php
index f142ef229d7..47d0b5d802d 100644
--- a/grade/lib.php
+++ b/grade/lib.php
@@ -691,7 +691,7 @@ class grade_plugin_return {
 
         } else {
             foreach ($params as $key=>$value) {
-                if (property_exists($key, $this)) {
+                if (property_exists($this, $key)) {
                     $this->$key = $value;
                 }
             }
diff --git a/lib/completion/data_object.php b/lib/completion/data_object.php
index ca26f8d9797..b805939f650 100644
--- a/lib/completion/data_object.php
+++ b/lib/completion/data_object.php
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ abstract class data_object {
     public function load_optional_fields() {
         global $DB;
         foreach ($this->optional_fields as $field=>$default) {
-            if (property_exists($field, $this)) {
+            if (property_exists($this, $field)) {
                 continue;
             }
             if (empty($this->id)) {
diff --git a/mod/workshop/locallib.php b/mod/workshop/locallib.php
index 5f455e69ea7..9640bb47043 100644
--- a/mod/workshop/locallib.php
+++ b/mod/workshop/locallib.php
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ class workshop {
      */
     public function __construct(stdclass $dbrecord, stdclass $cm, stdclass $course, stdclass $context=null) {
         foreach ($dbrecord as $field => $value) {
-            if (property_exists('workshop', $field)) {
+            if (property_exists($field, 'workshop')) {
                 $this->{$field} = $value;
             }
         }