PHP OOP - Static Methods

PHP - Static Methods

In PHP, static methods belong to the class itself, not to a specific object of the class. 

You can call a static method without creating an object.

Static methods are declared with the static keyword:

Syntax

class ClassName {
  public static function staticMethodName() {
    // code
  }
}

You call the method using the class name, double colon (::), and the method name::

Syntax

ClassName::staticMethodName();

Let's look at an example:

Explanation:

• public static function welcome() → Declares a static method.
• Greeting::welcome(); → Calls the method without creating an object.

PHP - More on Static Methods

 In PHP, a class can contain both static and non-static methods. Static methods can be accessed from within the same class using the self:: keyword (with the scope resolution operator ::).

In PHP, public static methods can be accessed from outside their class, including from other classes.

In PHP, when you're working with inheritance, you can call a static method from a parent class inside a child class using the parent:: keyword. This works for public and protected static methods.