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What does the 'static' keyword do in a class?

To be specific, I was trying this code:

package hello;

public class Hello {

    Clock clock = new Clock();

    public static void main(String args[]) {
        clock.sayTime();
    }
}

But it gave the error

Cannot access non-static field in static method main

So I changed the declaration of clock to this:

static Clock clock = new Clock();

And it worked. What does it mean to put that keyword before the declaration? What exactly will it do and/or restrict in terms of what can be done to that object?

New self vs. new static

I am converting a PHP 5.3 library to work on PHP 5.2. The main thing standing in my way is the use of late static binding like return new static($options); , if I convert this to return new self($options) will I get the same results?

What is the difference between new self and new static?

Static Block in Java [duplicate]

I was looking over some code the other day and I came across:

static {
    ...
}

Coming from C++, I had no idea why that was there. Its not an error because the code compiled fine. What is this "static" block of code?

Difference between static class and singleton pattern?

What real (i.e. practical) difference exists between a static class and a singleton pattern?

Both can be invoked without instantiation, both provide only one "Instance" and neither of them is thread-safe. Is there any other difference?

Static variables in JavaScript

How can I create static variables in Javascript?

Change private static final field using Java reflection

I have a class with a private static final field that, unfortunately, I need to change at run-time.

Using reflection I get this error: java.lang.IllegalAccessException: Can not set static final boolean field

Is there any way to change the value?

Field hack = WarpTransform2D.class.getDeclaredField("USE_HACK");
hack.setAccessible(true);
hack.set(null, true);

Volatile Vs Static in java

Is it correct to say that static means one copy of the value for all objects and volatile means one copy of the value for all threads?

Anyway a static variable value is also going to be one value for all threads, then why should we go for volatile?

When to Use Static Classes in C# [duplicate]

Here's what MSDN has to say under When to Use Static Classes:

static class CompanyInfo
{
    public static string GetCompanyName() { return "CompanyName"; }
    public static string GetCompanyAddress() { return "CompanyAddress"; }
    //...
}

Use a static class as a unit of organization for methods not associated with particular objects. Also, a static class can make your implementation simpler and faster because you do not have to create an object in order to call its methods. It is useful to organize the methods inside the class in a meaningful way, such as the methods of the Math class in the System namespace.

To me, that example doesn't seem to cover very many possible usage scenarios for static classes. In the past I've used static classes for stateless suites of related functions, but that's about it. So, under what circumstances should (and shouldn't) a class be declared static?

Why are static variables considered evil?

I am a Java programmer who is new to the corporate world. Recently I've developed an application using Groovy and Java. All through the code I've used quite a good number of statics. I was asked by the senior technical lot to cut down on the number of statics used. I've googled about the same, and I find that many programmers are fairly against using static variables.

I find static variables more convenient to use. And I presume that they are efficient too (please correct me if I am wrong), because if I had to make 10,000 calls to a function within a class, I would be glad to make the method static and use a straightforward class.methodCall() on it instead of cluttering the memory with 10,000 instances of the class, right?

Moreover statics reduce the inter-dependencies on the other parts of the code. They can act as perfect state holders. Adding to this I find that statics are widely implemented in some languages like Smalltalk and Scala. So why is this oppression for statics prevalent among programmers (especially in the world of Java)?

PS: please do correct me if my assumptions about statics are wrong.

Why doesn't Java allow overriding of static methods?

Why is it not possible to override static methods?

If possible, please use an example.

Can I add extension methods to an existing static class?

I'm a fan of extension methods in C#, but haven't had any success adding an extension method to a static class, such as Console.

For example, if I want to add an extension to Console, called 'WriteBlueLine', so that I can go:

Console.WriteBlueLine("This text is blue");

I tried this by adding a local, public static method, with Console as a 'this' parameter... but no dice!

public static class Helpers {
    public static void WriteBlueLine(this Console c, string text)
    {
        Console.ForegroundColor = ConsoleColor.Blue;
        Console.WriteLine(text);
        Console.ResetColor();
    }
}

This didn't add a 'WriteBlueLine' method to Console... am I doing it wrong? Or asking for the impossible?

C++ static constant string (class member)

I'd like to have a private static constant for a class (in this case a shape-factory). I'd like to have something of the sort.

class A {
   private:
      static const string RECTANGLE = "rectangle";
}

Unfortunately I get all sorts of error from the C++ (g++) compiler, such as:

ISO C++ forbids initialization of member ‘RECTANGLE’

invalid in-class initialization of static data member of non-integral type ‘std::string’

error: making ‘RECTANGLE’ static

This tells me that this sort of member design is not compliant with the standard. How do you have a private literal constant (or perhaps public) without having to use a #define directive (I want to avoid the uglyness of data globality!)

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

What is a "static" function?

The question was about plain c functions, not c++ static methods, as clarified in comments.

Ok, I understand what a static variable is, but what is a static function?

And why is it that if I declare a function, let's say void print_matrix, in let's say a.c (WITHOUT a.h) and include "a.c" - I get "print_matrix@@....) already defined in a.obj", BUT if I declare it as static void print_matrix then it compiles?

UPDATE Just to clear things up - I know that including .c is bad, as many of you pointed out, I just do it to temporarily clear space in main.cpp until I have a better idea of how to group all those functions into proper .hpp and .c. Just a temporary, quick solution.

What is the lifetime of a static variable in a C++ function?

If a variable is declared as static in a function's scope it is only initialized once and retains its value between function calls. What exactly is its lifetime? When do its constructor and destructor get called?

void foo() 
{ 
    static string plonk = "When will I die?";
}

P.S. For those who want to know why I asked the question if I already knew the answer?

ReSharper warns: "Static field in generic type"

public class EnumRouteConstraint<T> : IRouteConstraint
    where T : struct
{
    private static readonly Lazy<HashSet<string>> _enumNames; // <--

    static EnumRouteConstraint()
    {
        if (!typeof(T).IsEnum)
        {
            throw new ArgumentException(Resources.Error.EnumRouteConstraint.FormatWith(typeof(T).FullName));
        }

        string[] names = Enum.GetNames(typeof(T));
        _enumNames = new Lazy<HashSet<string>>(() => new HashSet<string>
        (
            names.Select(name => name), StringComparer.InvariantCultureIgnoreCase
        ));
    }

    public bool Match(HttpContextBase httpContext, Route route, string parameterName, RouteValueDictionary values, RouteDirection routeDirection)
    {
        bool match = _enumNames.Value.Contains(values[parameterName].ToString());
        return match;
    }
}

Is this wrong? I would assume that this actually has a static readonly field for each of the possible EnumRouteConstraint<T> that I happen to instance.