On Tue, Jun 25, 2024 at 1:00 AM Alex Wells <autau...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > a static class member can never implement an interface's contract > Well, PHP is a weird one here compared to other languages Interfaces can contain contracts for static methods and they are checked just like usual non-static methods. Example: https://3v4l.org/8cuXW With late static binding, you can define static abstract methods and basically do code reuse through inheritance. Example: https://3v4l.org/pid7W I'm not saying I would ever use such a thing, just that they exist and others might find them useful so why build limits around it? A limit is just extra code to maintain and make sure you use it consistently. I believe that a static class should have the principle of no allowed instance and only static methods, without any impact on inheritance: - There can be a static interface and a static abstract class - A static class can extend a non-static class, or implement an interface or abstract class as long as it does not require to implement a non-static method. - A static class can be extended only by another static class - As static interface can be extended only by a static class Basically, when a static class gets into the inheritance chain, all the extending classes will be static and there is a guarantee that there will never be an instance of that class. Making sure a static class does just that, limiting the methods and properties in it to only be static, will keep things simpler going forward when thinking about interactions with other features. Like readonly static class would not work right now, but it will work if readonly will be implemented for static properties, and that should be doable effortless. Alex
