Question

Explain the programming steps necessary to make a class's member function static.

Short answer

Question: Explain the programming steps necessary to make a class's member function static. Answer: To make a class's member function static, follow these steps: 1. Understand what a static member function is: A static member function belongs to the class rather than instances of the class (objects). It can be called without creating an object of the class, and it can only access static data members and other static member functions of the class. 2. Declare the static member function inside the class: To declare a static member function inside the class, use the 'static' keyword before the function declaration. Example: ```cpp class MyClass { public: static void staticFunction(); }; ``` 3. Define the static member function outside the class: To define a static member function outside the class, use the scope resolution operator (::) to specify the class to which the function belongs. You don't need to use the 'static' keyword when defining the function. Example: ```cpp void MyClass::staticFunction() { // Function implementation } ``` 4. Use the static member function: Since static member functions belong to the class rather than the objects, you can call them using the class name and the scope resolution operator (::), without creating an object of the class. Example: ```cpp int main() { MyClass::staticFunction(); // Calling the static member function return 0; } ```

Step-by-step solution

Understanding Static Member Function

A static member function is a function that belongs to the class rather than instances of the class (objects). It can be called without creating an object of the class, and it can only access static data members and other static member functions of the class.

Declaring a Static Member Function Inside the Class

To declare a static member function inside the class, you need to use the 'static' keyword before the function declaration. Here is an example: ``` class MyClass { public: static void staticFunction(); }; ``` In this example, `staticFunction` is declared as a static member function of the class `MyClass`.

Defining a Static Member Function Outside the Class

To define a static member function outside the class, you need to use the scope resolution operator (::) to specify the class to which the function belongs. You don't need to use the 'static' keyword when defining the function. Here is an example: ``` void MyClass::staticFunction() { // Function implementation } ``` In this example, `staticFunction` is defined outside the class `MyClass`.

Using a Static Member Function

Since static member functions belong to the class rather than the objects, you can call them using the class name and the scope resolution operator (::), without creating an object of the class. Here is an example: ``` int main() { MyClass::staticFunction(); // Calling the static member function return 0; } ``` In this example, the static member function `staticFunction` of the class `MyClass` is called without creating an object of the class.