Static Classes In Java

Solution 1:

Java has static nested classes but it sounds like you're looking for a top-level static class. Java has no way of making a top-level class static but you can simulate a static class like this:

• Declare your class final - Prevents extension of the class since extending a static class makes no sense
• Make the constructor private - Prevents instantiation by client code as it makes no sense to instantiate a static class
• Make all the members and functions of the class static - Since the class cannot be instantiated no instance methods can be called or instance fields accessed
• Note that the compiler will not prevent you from declaring an instance (non-static) member. The issue will only show up if you attempt to call the instance member

Simple example per suggestions from above:

public class TestMyStaticClass {
     public static void main(String []args){
        MyStaticClass.setMyStaticMember(5);
        System.out.println("Static value: " + MyStaticClass.getMyStaticMember());
        System.out.println("Value squared: " + MyStaticClass.squareMyStaticMember());
        // MyStaticClass x = new MyStaticClass(); // results in compile time error
     }
}

// A top-level Java class mimicking static class behavior
public final class MyStaticClass {
    private MyStaticClass () { // private constructor
        myStaticMember = 1;
    }
    private static int myStaticMember;
    public static void setMyStaticMember(int val) {
        myStaticMember = val;
    }
    public static int getMyStaticMember() {
        return myStaticMember;
    }
    public static int squareMyStaticMember() {
        return myStaticMember * myStaticMember;
    }
}

What good are static classes? A good use of a static class is in defining one-off, utility and/or library classes where instantiation would not make sense. A great example is the Math class that contains some mathematical constants such as PI and E and simply provides mathematical calculations. Requiring instantiation in such a case would be unnecessary and confusing. See the Math class and source code. Notice that it is final and all of its members are static. If Java allowed top-level classes to be declared static then the Math class would indeed be static.

Solution 2:

Well, Java has "static nested classes", but they're not at all the same as C#'s static classes, if that's where you were coming from. A static nested class is just one which doesn't implicitly have a reference to an instance of the outer class.

Static nested classes can have instance methods and static methods.

There's no such thing as a top-level static class in Java.

Solution 3:

There is a static nested class, this [static nested] class does not need an instance of the enclosing class in order to be instantiated itself.

These classes [static nested ones] can access only the static members of the enclosing class [since it does not have any reference to instances of the enclosing class...]

code sample:

public class Test { 
  class A { } 
  static class B { }
  public static void main(String[] args) { 
    /*will fail - compilation error, you need an instance of Test to instantiate A*/
    A a = new A(); 
    /*will compile successfully, not instance of Test is needed to instantiate B */
    B b = new B(); 
  }
}

Solution 4:

Yes there is a static nested class in java. When you declare a nested class static, it automatically becomes a stand alone class which can be instantiated without having to instantiate the outer class it belongs to.

Example:

public class A
{

 public static class B
 {
 }
}

Because class B is declared static you can explicitly instantiate as:

B b = new B();

Note if class B wasn't declared static to make it stand alone, an instance object call would've looked like this:

A a= new A();
B b = a.new B();

Solution 5:

What's happening when a members inside a class is declared as static..? That members can be accessed without instantiating the class. Therefore making outer class(top level class) static has no meaning. Therefore it is not allowed.

But you can set inner classes as static (As it is a member of the top level class). Then that class can be accessed without instantiating the top level class. Consider the following example.

public class A {
    public static class B {

    }
}

Now, inside a different class C, class B can be accessed without making an instance of class A.

public class C {
    A.B ab = new A.B();
}

static classes can have non-static members too. Only the class gets static.

But if the static keyword is removed from class B, it cannot be accessed directly without making an instance of A.

public class C {
    A a = new A();
    A.B ab = a. new B();
}

But we cannot have static members inside a non-static inner class.