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iOS Build a Vending Machine App in Swift 2.0 Loading Data From a Resource Type Methods

Ethan Neff
Ethan Neff
27,058 Points
Posted by Ethan Neff
Ethan Neff
27,058 Points

class func blah() {} or static func blah() {}

Basically classes can take either 'class' or 'static' for Type Methods (example below).

Is there any benefit from using 'class' over 'static'? Or can I just use 'static' for everything (both my classes and structs)?

class ClassExample {
  class func TypeMethodClass() {
    print("class class")
  }
  static func TypeMethodStatic() {
    print("class static")
  }
}

struct StructExample {
  static func TypeMethodStatic() {
    print("struct static")
  }
}

ClassExample.TypeMethodClass()
ClassExample.TypeMethodStatic()
StructExample.TypeMethodStatic()
Greg Kaleka
Greg Kaleka
39,021 Points
Greg Kaleka
Greg Kaleka
39,021 Points

Completely unrelated to your question, and I'm sure you know this, but just in case - it's best practice to name your functions (static, class or otherwise) with lowercase first letters.

class ClassExample {
  class func typeMethodClass() {
    print("class class")
  }
  static func typeMethodStatic() {
    print("class static")
  }
}

1 Answer

Ethan Neff
Ethan Neff
27,058 Points
Ethan Neff
Ethan Neff
27,058 Points

found the answer:

static and class both associate a method with a class, rather than an instance of a class. The difference is that subclasses can override class methods; they cannot override static methods.