CLASS-METHODS

Short Reference

Syntax Forms

General Static Methods

1. CLASS-METHODS meth
    [IMPORTING parameters [PREFERRED PARAMETER p]]
    [EXPORTING parameters]
    [CHANGING parameters]
    [{RAISING|EXCEPTIONS} exc1 exc2 ...].

Functional Static Methods

2. CLASS-METHODS meth
    [IMPORTING parameters [PREFERRED PARAMETER p]]
    RETURNING VALUE(r) typing
    [{RAISING|EXCEPTIONS} exc1 exc2 ...].

Static Constructors

3. CLASS-METHODS class_constructor.

Event Handlers

4. CLASS-METHODS meth
     FOR EVENT evt OF {class|intf}
     [IMPORTING p1 p2 ... [sender]].

Effect

The CLASS-METHODS statement declares a static method meth. The naming conventions apply for the name meth. With the class component selector (=>), static methods can be used independently of objects. In static methods, you can only access the static components of the class or its superclasses if you do not use the component selector.

Using the variants of the CLASS-METHODS statement, different types of method declaration are possible :

• General Static Methods
  The most general form of the CLASS-METHODS statement allows you to define static methods with any number of input and output parameters.
  
  
• Functional Static Methods
  Functional methods can have any number of input parameters and exactly one return value as the output parameter.
  
  
• Static Constructors
  Static constructors are methods with the predefined name class_constructor, which are automatically called before their class is first used. Static constructors have no parameter interface.
  
  
• Static Event Handlers
  Static event handlers are static methods, that are called by an event of a class or an interface. The only possible formal parameters of an event handler are input parameters that were defined as output parameters of the event.