What is the difference between a static method and a non-static method?

Question

See the code snippets below:

Code 1

public class A {
    static int add(int i, int j) {
        return(i + j);
    }
}

public class B extends A {
    public static void main(String args[]) {
        short s = 9;
        System.out.println(add(s, 6));
    }
}

Code 2

public class A {
    int add(int i, int j) {
        return(i + j);
    }
}

public class B extends A {
    public static void main(String args[]) {
    A a = new A();
        short s = 9;
        System.out.println(a.add(s, 6));
    }
}

What is the difference between these code snippets? Both output 15 as an answer.

Claustral

Here, Understanding Instance and Class Members, its explained very well. – Haemophilic

Answer 1

A static method belongs to the class itself and a non-static (aka instance) method belongs to each object that is generated from that class. If your method does something that doesn't depend on the individual characteristics of its class, make it static (it will make the program's footprint smaller). Otherwise, it should be non-static.

Example:

class Foo {
    int i;

    public Foo(int i) { 
       this.i = i;
    }

    public static String method1() {
       return "An example string that doesn't depend on i (an instance variable)";
    }

    public int method2() {
       return this.i + 1; // Depends on i
    }
}

You can call static methods like this: Foo.method1(). If you try that with method2, it will fail. But this will work: Foo bar = new Foo(1); bar.method2();

Invoke

Does Access specifier(public) affects static method access ? Like what will happen if your method name will be static string method1() ? – Valerivaleria

Would be also possible to put that static method in an UtililyClass? – Unspent

Answer 2

Static methods are useful if you have only one instance (situation, circumstance) where you're going to use the method, and you don't need multiple copies (objects). For example, if you're writing a method that logs onto one and only one web site, downloads the weather data, and then returns the values, you could write it as static because you can hard code all the necessary data within the method and you're not going to have multiple instances or copies. You can then access the method statically using one of the following:

MyClass.myMethod();
this.myMethod();
myMethod();

Non-static methods are used if you're going to use your method to create multiple copies. For example, if you want to download the weather data from Boston, Miami, and Los Angeles, and if you can do so from within your method without having to individually customize the code for each separate location, you then access the method non-statically:

MyClass boston = new MyClassConstructor(); 
boston.myMethod("bostonURL");

MyClass miami = new MyClassConstructor(); 
miami.myMethod("miamiURL");

MyClass losAngeles = new MyClassConstructor();
losAngeles.myMethod("losAngelesURL");

In the above example, Java creates three separate objects and memory locations from the same method that you can individually access with the "boston", "miami", or "losAngeles" reference. You can't access any of the above statically, because MyClass.myMethod(); is a generic reference to the method, not to the individual objects that the non-static reference created.

If you run into a situation where the way you access each location, or the way the data is returned, is sufficiently different that you can't write a "one size fits all" method without jumping through a lot of hoops, you can better accomplish your goal by writing three separate static methods, one for each location.

Battik

does anyone know which one is efficient? when it comes to memory and space? – Perorate

Answer 3

Generally

static: no need to create object we can directly call using

ClassName.methodname()

Non Static: we need to create a object like

ClassName obj=new ClassName()
obj.methodname();

Sublieutenant

Answer 4

A static method belongs to the class and a non-static method belongs to an object of a class. That is, a non-static method can only be called on an object of a class that it belongs to. A static method can however be called both on the class as well as an object of the class. A static method can access only static members. A non-static method can access both static and non-static members because at the time when the static method is called, the class might not be instantiated (if it is called on the class itself). In the other case, a non-static method can only be called when the class has already been instantiated. A static method is shared by all instances of the class. These are some of the basic differences. I would also like to point out an often ignored difference in this context. Whenever a method is called in C++/Java/C#, an implicit argument (the 'this' reference) is passed along with/without the other parameters. In case of a static method call, the 'this' reference is not passed as static methods belong to a class and hence do not have the 'this' reference.

Reference:Static Vs Non-Static methods

Songsongbird

Answer 5

Well, more technically speaking, the difference between a static method and a virtual method is the way the are linked.

A traditional "static" method like in most non OO languages gets linked/wired "statically" to its implementation at compile time. That is, if you call method Y() in program A, and link your program A with library X that implements Y(), the address of X.Y() is hardcoded to A, and you can not change that.

In OO languages like JAVA, "virtual" methods are resolved "late", at run-time, and you need to provide an instance of a class. So in, program A, to call virtual method Y(), you need to provide an instance, B.Y() for example. At runtime, every time A calls B.Y() the implementation called will depend on the instance used, so B.Y() , C.Y() etc... could all potential provide different implementations of Y() at runtime.

Why will you ever need that? Because that way you can decouple your code from the dependencies. For example, say program A is doing "draw()". With a static language, thats it, but with OO you will do B.draw() and the actual drawing will depend on the type of object B, which, at runtime, can change to square a circle etc. That way your code can draw multiple things with no need to change, even if new types of B are provided AFTER the code was written. Nifty -

Armandarmanda

Answer 6

A static method belongs to the class and a non-static method belongs to an object of a class. I am giving one example how it creates difference between outputs.

public class DifferenceBetweenStaticAndNonStatic {

  static int count = 0;
  private int count1 = 0;

  public DifferenceBetweenStaticAndNonStatic(){
    count1 = count1+1;
  }

  public int getCount1() {
    return count1;
  }

  public void setCount1(int count1) {
    this.count1 = count1;
  }

  public static int countStaticPosition() {
    count = count+1; 
    return count;
    /*
     * one can not use non static variables in static method.so if we will
     * return count1 it will give compilation error. return count1;
     */
  }
}

public class StaticNonStaticCheck {

  public static void main(String[] args){
    for(int i=0;i<4;i++) {
      DifferenceBetweenStaticAndNonStatic p =new DifferenceBetweenStaticAndNonStatic();
      System.out.println("static count position is " +DifferenceBetweenStaticAndNonStatic.count);
        System.out.println("static count position is " +p.getCount1());
        System.out.println("static count position is " +DifferenceBetweenStaticAndNonStatic.countStaticPosition());

        System.out.println("next case: ");
        System.out.println(" ");

    }
}

}

Now output will be:::

static count position is 0
static count position is 1
static count position is 1
next case: 

static count position is 1
static count position is 1
static count position is 2
next case: 

static count position is 2
static count position is 1
static count position is 3
next case:  

Behan

Answer 7

If your method is related to the object's characteristics, you should define it as non-static method. Otherwise, you can define your method as static, and you can use it independently from object.

Lujan

Answer 8

Basic difference is non static members are declared with out using the keyword 'static'

All the static members (both variables and methods) are referred with the help of class name. Hence the static members of class are also called as class reference members or class members..

In order to access the non static members of a class we should create reference variable . reference variable store an object..

Edmea

For more information, you can read the following links: https://mcmap.net/q/270797/-static-vs-non-static-method #1353809 #70824 #5242399 – Professoriate

Answer 9

Another scenario for Static method.

Yes, Static method is of the class not of the object. And when you don't want anyone to initialize the object of the class or you don't want more than one object, you need to use Private constructor and so the static method.

Here, we have private constructor and using static method we are creating a object.

Ex::

public class Demo {

        private static Demo obj = null;         
        private Demo() {
        }

        public static Demo createObj() {

            if(obj == null) {
               obj = new Demo();
            }
            return obj;
        }
}

Demo obj1 = Demo.createObj();

Here, Only 1 instance will be alive at a time.

Baucis

Answer 10

Simply put, from the point of view of the user, a static method either uses no variables at all or all of the variables it uses are local to the method or they are static fields. Defining a method as static gives a slight performance benefit.

Brahmi

Answer 11

Sometimes, you want to have variables that are common to all objects. This is accomplished with the static modifier.

i.e. class human - number of heads (1) is static, same for all humans, however human - haircolor is variable for each human.

Notice that static vars can also be used to share information across all instances

Glade

Answer 12

- First we must know that the diff bet static and non static methods 
is differ from static and non static variables : 

- this code explain static method - non static method and what is the diff 

    public class MyClass {
        static {
            System.out.println("this is static routine ... ");

        }
          public static void foo(){
            System.out.println("this is static method ");
        }

        public void blabla(){

         System.out.println("this is non static method ");
        }

        public static void main(String[] args) {

           /* ***************************************************************************  
            * 1- in static method you can implement the method inside its class like :  *       
            * you don't have to make an object of this class to implement this method   *      
            * MyClass.foo();          // this is correct                                *     
            * MyClass.blabla();       // this is not correct because any non static     *
            * method you must make an object from the class to access it like this :    *            
            * MyClass m = new MyClass();                                                *     
            * m.blabla();                                                               *    
            * ***************************************************************************/

            // access static method without make an object 
            MyClass.foo();

            MyClass m = new MyClass();
            // access non static method via make object 
            m.blabla();
            /* 
              access static method make a warning but the code run ok 
               because you don't have to make an object from MyClass 
               you can easily call it MyClass.foo(); 
            */
            m.foo();
        }    
    }
    /* output of the code */
    /*
    this is static routine ... 
    this is static method 
    this is non static method 
    this is static method
    */

 - this code explain static method - non static Variables and what is the diff 


     public class Myclass2 {

                // you can declare static variable here : 
                // or you can write  int callCount = 0; 
                // make the same thing 
                //static int callCount = 0; = int callCount = 0;
                static int callCount = 0;    

                public void method() {
                    /********************************************************************* 
                    Can i declare a static variable inside static member function in Java?
                    - no you can't 
                    static int callCount = 0;  // error                                                   
                    ***********************************************************************/
                /* static variable */
                callCount++;
                System.out.println("Calls in method (1) : " + callCount);
                }

                public void method2() {
                int callCount2 = 0 ; 
                /* non static variable */   
                callCount2++;
                System.out.println("Calls in method (2) : " + callCount2);
                }


            public static void main(String[] args) {
             Myclass2 m = new Myclass2();
             /* method (1) calls */
             m.method(); 
             m.method();
             m.method();
             /* method (2) calls */
             m.method2();
             m.method2();
             m.method2();
            }

        }
        // output 

        // Calls in method (1) : 1
        // Calls in method (1) : 2
        // Calls in method (1) : 3
        // Calls in method (2) : 1
        // Calls in method (2) : 1
        // Calls in method (2) : 1 

Doggo