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7.11 PHP Static Methods

Static methods can be called directly - without creating an instance of the class first.
Static methods are declared with the static keyword:

Syntax

<?php
class ClassName {
  public static function staticMethod() {
    echo "Hello World!";
  }
}
?>

To access a static method use the class name, double colon (::), and the method name:

Syntax

ClassName::staticMethod();

Let's look at an example:

Example 1: PHP Static Methods part 1

<?php
class greeting {
  public static function welcome() {
    echo "Hello World!";
  }
}

// Call static method
greeting::welcome();
?>

Example Explained

Here, we declare a static method: welcome(). Then, we call the static method by using the class name, double colon (::), and the method name (without creating an instance of the class first).

PHP - More on Static Methods

A class can have both static and non-static methods. A static method can be accessed from a method in the same class using the self keyword and double colon (::):

Example 2: PHP Static Methods part 2

<?php
class greeting {
  public static function welcome() {
    echo "Hello World!";
  }

  public function __construct() {
    self::welcome();
  }
}

new greeting();
?>

Static methods can also be called from methods in other classes. To do this, the static method should be public:

Example 3: PHP Static Methods part 3

<?php
class greeting {
  public static function welcome() {
    echo "Hello World!";
  }
}

class SomeOtherClass {
  public function message() {
    greeting::welcome();
  }
}
?>

To call a static method from a child class, use the parent keyword inside the child class. Here, the static method can be public or protected.

Example 4: PHP Static Methods part 4

<?php
class domain {
  protected static function getWebsiteName() {
    return "W3Schools.com";
  }
}

class domainW3 extends domain {
  public $websiteName;
  public function __construct() {
    $this->websiteName = parent::getWebsiteName();
  }
}

$domainW3 = new domainW3;
echo $domainW3 -> websiteName;
?>

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Module 7. PHP OOP

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Example files created in this module:
PHP Classes/Objects - Define a Class PHP Classes/Objects - Define Objects part 1 PHP Classes/Objects - Define Objects part 2 PHP Classes/Objects - The $this Keyword part 1 PHP Classes/Objects - The $this Keyword part 2 PHP Classes/Objects - instanceof PHP Constructor part 1 PHP Constructor part 2 PHP Destructor part 1 PHP Destructor part 2 PHP Access Modifiers part 1 PHP Access Modifiers part 2 PHP Inheritance PHP Inheritance - Inheritance and the Protected Access Modifier part 1 PHP Inheritance - Inheritance and the Protected Access Modifier part 2 PHP Inheritance - Overriding Inherited Methods PHP Inheritance - The final Keyword part 1 PHP Inheritance - The final Keyword part 2 PHP Class Constants part 1 PHP Class Constants part 2 PHP Abstract Classes part 1 PHP Abstract Classes part 2 PHP Abstract Classes part 3 PHP Interfaces - Using Interfaces part 1 PHP Interfaces - Using Interfaces part 2 PHP - Using Traits PHP - Using Multiple Traits PHP Static Methods part 1 PHP Static Methods part 2 PHP Static Methods part 3 PHP Static Methods part 4 PHP Static Properties part 1 PHP Static Properties part 2 PHP Static Properties part 3 menu Test (text file for navigating the site) Drop Down Menu PHP Namespaces - Declaring a Namespace PHP Namespaces - Using Namespaces part 1 PHP Namespaces - Using Namespaces part 2 PHP Namespaces - Namespace Alias part 1 PHP Namespaces - Namespace Alias part 2 PHP Iterables - Using Iterables part 1 PHP Iterables - Using Iterables part 2 PHP Iterables - Creating Iterables