Static Member Function in C++
Static Member Function in a class is the function that is declared as static because of which function attains certain properties as defined below:
- A static member function is independent of any object of the class.
- A static member function can be called even if no objects of the class exist.
- A static member function can also be accessed using the class name through the scope resolution operator.
- A static member function can access static data members and static member functions inside or outside of the class.
- Static member functions have a scope inside the class and cannot access the current object pointer.
- You can also use a static member function to determine how many objects of the class have been created.
The reason we need Static member function:
- Static members are frequently used to store information that is shared by all objects in a class.
- For instance, you may keep track of the quantity of newly generated objects of a specific class type using a static data member as a counter. This static data member can be increased each time an object is generated to keep track of the overall number of objects.
Example:
C++
// C++ Program to show the working of// static member functions#include <iostream> using namespace std; class Box { private: static int length; static int breadth; static int height; public: static void print() { cout << "The value of the length is: " << length << endl; cout << "The value of the breadth is: " << breadth << endl; cout << "The value of the height is: " << height << endl; }}; // initialize the static data members int Box :: length = 10; int Box :: breadth = 20; int Box :: height = 30; // Driver Code int main() { Box b; cout << "Static member function is called through Object name: \n" << endl; b.print(); cout << "\nStatic member function is called through Class name: \n" << endl; Box::print(); return 0; } |
Output
Static member function is called through Object name: The value of the length is: 10 The value of the breadth is: 20 The value of the height is: 30 Static member function is called through Class name: The value of the length is: 10 The value of the breadth is: 20 The value of the height is: 30
Static Member Function in C++
The static keyword is used with a variable to make the memory of the variable static once a static variable is declared its memory can’t be changed. To know more about static keywords refer to the article static Keyword in C++.