PHP Static Members

Static members belong to the class itself, not to instances. They're shared across all objects - perfect for counters, utilities, and configuration!

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Static Properties

<?php
class Counter {
    public static $count = 0;
}

// Access without instance
echo Counter::$count;  // 0
Counter::$count++;
?>

Static Methods

<?php
class Math {
    public static function add($a, $b) {
        return $a + $b;
    }
}

echo Math::add(5, 3);  // 8 - no instance needed!
?>

self:: Keyword

<?php
class Counter {
    public static $count = 0;
    
    public static function increment() {
        self::$count++;  // Access static property
    }
}
?>

Summary

What's Next?

Finally, learn about Magic Methods - special methods that PHP calls automatically!