@var annotation behaving erratically

[JoyceBabu]

I have a PHP template file, which is included from my template engine class. Hence the variables are not defined within the template file, and I am trying to define the variables using @var annotation. But phpactor is behaving erratically when @var annotation is used to specify the type of a variable.

<?php

/** @var string $a */
/** @var string $b */
/** @var string $c */
?>
<?php

echo $a + $b;

echo $a;
echo $b;

But if I change the + operator to ., it no longer works.

[mamazu]

Could it be that the variable scope is only inside the php tags? So if you put everything in one tag it works?

[JoyceBabu]

No, putting it within the same <?php block too behaves the same.