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actionscript-3public-method

Public static methods vs public methods

What's the difference between a public static method and a public method? Why would you use a public static method?

Solution

  • The methods of the Math class are static. So, in doing

    Math.round(average)

    the Math class itself is unchanged by what you've done - it only returns a value or acts upon the value you pass.

    So - static methods are useful for utilities. Things like

    StringUtils.removeWhitespaceFrom(textContent:String):String

    or

    BrowserUtils.openInNewWindow(url:String):void

    It's very unusual that you'd use a static method for anything else. Don't use statics like 'getInstance()' to create Singletons - look into a framework for dependency injection instead.