php class methods used statically without class reference?

Question

I have a class like this:

class Utils{

   public function hello()
   {
      return "<b>Hello World</b></br>";
   }

}

Can I now do something directly like this in my page.php:

require_once("classes/Utils.php");

echo hello();

Or must I do this:

$u = new Utils;
$u->hello();

even though the function contains no object properties that need to be instantiated?

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 10:32

3

Yes, if you declare your function as static.

class Utils{

   public static function hello()
   {
      return "<b>Hello World</b></br>";
   }

}

and call it as

Utils::hello()

edited May 23 '17 at 10:32

Community

answered Mar 20 '13 at 14:52

Colandus

but is the `Utils::` necessary as a prefix, rather than just `hello()`? Assuming there's no other class required in the file that also has a `hello()` method. – user961627 Mar 20 '13 at 15:05
Yes, that's what indicates a static function call. If you just write hello() you are calling a global function not from a class. – Colandus Mar 20 '13 at 15:06

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 20 '13 at 14:51

0

actually you call static methods like this:

Utils::hello();

answered Mar 20 '13 at 14:51

ITroubs

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 20 '13 at 14:52

0

You can call it directly like:

echo Utils::hello();

answered Mar 20 '13 at 14:52

Mihai Matei

3 Answers3