[PHP-DEV] Class static initialization block

[David Rodrigues]

Hello!

I would like to suggest a feature I saw being implemented in the V8 9.4
engine called "*class static initialization block*".

https://v8.dev/blog/v8-release-94

In short, it is a method that is executed once when a class is imported and
loaded, allowing for some more advanced initialization process to be done.

class Test {
    static readonly Carbon $now;

    static () {
        self::$now = now();
    }
}

Currently I can only do this in a very hacky way, usually by creating a
public static method and calling it after class initialization.

class Test {
    static Carbon $now;

    public static function init(): void {
        self::$now = now();
    }
}

Test::init();

I think the way the V8 does is much more interesting.

Another alternative would be to create a magic method like __initialize().