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Tori Tech S.A.C.
4,316 Pointswhy would I use a static method to print something?
I can use a simple method to print something, i.e.
class Work { public function displaySomething() { $output = "print this"; return $output; } }
Why would I create another class with a static method to do the same?
3 Answers
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse TeacherHi there, Tori Tech S.A.C. ! The big benefit to having a static function is that you don't first need an instance of that class to use it. Imagine for a moment that we operate a veterinary clinic. And for some reason, we want to be able to print the Latin names of the animals. So for every rabbit that checks in, I create an instance of Rabbit. So $fluffy = new Rabbit("Fluffy");. The scenario here presumes the constructor takes a name and this rabbit's name is "Fluffy". Hang in there with me. If it's not a static method then I can only call it on an instance. So I could do $fluffy->printLatin().
But what happens if I just want to print the Latin name for rabbit but don't currently have a rabbit patient? The answer would be a static method that prints the Latin name for Rabbit directly from the class. Then I could do Rabbit::printLatin().
Hope this helps!
Tori Tech S.A.C.
4,316 PointsOK but with both I get the same result. I wonder if there is an improvement in performance if I use static? So far it sounds/seems that statics are way better if I simply want to use a method w/o storing any data but just do an action?
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse TeacherTori Tech S.A.C. Essentially, yes. There may be times when you don't need an instance of an object but still want to do something that is related to that class as opposed to tightly coupled with an instance of that class
This will become a bit more obvious the first time you encounter a use case for it.
Tori Tech S.A.C.
4,316 PointsThanks!