Question

Creating a class with variables like this works fine:

class Example {
    public static $example = array('simple', 'example');
    // ... 
}

But, if I use a function, when defining the variable, I get an unexpected '(', expecting ')' error:

class Example {
    public static $example = explode(' ', 'simple example');
    // ... 
}

I tried it without the static keyword and still got the same error. Is it possible to use functions, when defining class variables like that? What is the alternative?

Answer 1

Array is not really a function, but an operator literal, which is why it works. To use a function, just do it with a setter or external to the class:

class Example {
    public static $example = null;
    // ... 

    public static function setE($val) {
       self::$example = $val;
    }
}

Example::$example = explode(' ', 'simple example');

// or

Example::setE(explode(' ', 'nudder example'));