Can static methods be called as a public method?

Question

I wrote a small test scenario for testing mixed use of static and non-static methods. When calling a public method as a static method it generates a strict warning. That got me thinking that perhaps calling a static method as a public method would generate a similar warning, but it did not.

Is it ok to call static methods as a non-static method? Are there any consequences to doing so?

<?php
class TestS {
  static function _testS() {
    echo("Hello Static<br>\n");
    // Strict warning: Non-static method TestS::_tS() should not be
    // called statically in TestS::_tS()
    self::_tS();
  }
  public function _tS() {
    echo("tS<br>\n");
  }
  public function _testP() {
    echo("Hello Public<br>\n");
    self::_tP();
  }
  static function _tP() {
    echo("tP<br>\n");
  }
  public function _testSP() {
    $this->_tP();
  }
}

$test = new TestS();
echo("///////////<br>\n");
$test->_testP();
echo("///////////<br>\n");
TestS::_testS();
echo("///////////<br>\n");
$test->_testSP();
echo("///////////<br>\n");

Are there any compelling arguments to not to use static methods other than preference? I like to use static methods/classes to keep the global scope clean of lots of small utility functions. — forsvunnet
– forsvunnet, Commented Nov 25, 2013 at 7:44
The problem with static methods and variables is that they are global. — tereško
– tereško, Commented Nov 25, 2013 at 8:08
In most of the cases where I use static methods the goal is to make those methods global. I don't see why that is a problem? Using static methods over functions serves to keep the global scope cleaner and gives the programmer a tool to organize functions in a logical manner (group methods by class). E.g: Math::sin(); Stat::std(); Colour::generate('red'); $objects = ObjectBuilder::build_list($items); See stackoverflow.com/a/4690508/1292556 — forsvunnet
– forsvunnet, Commented Nov 29, 2013 at 11:01
It also bind all your code to specific class names. That is know as "tight coupling". Essentially what you are writing is procedural code, that has nothing to do with object-oriented programming. For you, the class is nothing but a glorified namespace. — tereško
– tereško, Commented Nov 29, 2013 at 11:17

Ja͢ck · Accepted Answer · 2013-11-25 03:15:29Z

1

Is it ok to call static methods as a public method?

Theoretically, it is. That's because a static method doesn't reference $this anywhere, so it will work when called either statically or as an instance method.

Are there any consequences to doing so?

It's a good practice to indicate explicitly what kind of method you're calling; when looking back on your code you will know exactly which method is static because of the way you're calling it, with the notable exception of using parent::method() inside an instance method.

It's also a good practice to avoid using static methods in the first place; if you have a lot of them, it's often indicates a code smell and should be refactored.

answered Nov 25, 2013 at 3:15

Ja͢ck

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