The only way to inspect an Objective C 2.0 property is with a call to property_getAttributes(); sadly, the data returned by this function is completely undocumented. Here’s what I figured out:

The data is simply a NULL terminated string. Inside this string are several parts, separated by commas. (I’m assuming the order doesn’t matter, but this could be incorrect.)

Misc:

• R - the property is read-only
• T<type> - the property’s type, where <type> is the result of @encode() of the property’s type.

Assignment modes:

• C - the property is copied on assignment
• & - the property is retained on assignment

References:

• P - the property is a strong reference
• W - the property is a weak reference

Property accessors:

• D - the property is dynamic
• G<getter> - the property’s getter (named <getter>)
• S<setter> - the property’s setter (named <setter>)
• V<ivar> - the property is synthesized, using the ivar <ivar>