[11.x] Remove $except property from ExcludesPaths trait

[gdebrauwer]

It is currently impossible to set the $except property in a class when using the ExcludesPaths trait.

class FooBarMiddleware
{
    use ExcludesPaths;

    protected $except = [
        '/some/excluded/path', // adding a value here causes an error
    ];

    public function handle($request, $next)
    {
        // ...
    }
}

This causes the following error:

PHP Fatal error: App\Http\Middleware\FooBarMiddleware and Illuminate\Foundation\Http\Middleware\Concerns\ExcludesPaths define the same property ($except) in the composition of App\Http\Middleware\FooBarMiddleware. However, the definition differs and is considered incompatible.

This is caused by the fact that the $except property is already set in trait. Removing it from the trait fixes that.

[driesvints]

This is a breaking change for anyone applying this trait.

[gdebrauwer]

This trait has only been added in Laravel 11.
If I change the getExcludedPaths() method so it returns an empty array if $except does not exist or is not set, is it still a breaking change in that case?

[driesvints]

@gdebrauwer that helps!