When to use Static Methods in Java

Question

I am a beginner and I want to know, when to use static methods.

Answer 1

Static is a non-access modifier used in java, applicable for methods, variables, class. When the static keyword is used to declare any parameter, then memory is allocated only once for that parameter. 

class Employee{  

     int id;  

     String name;  

     static String company = "WIT";  

       

     static void change(){  

     company = "SRT";  

     }  

  

     Employee(int i, String n){  

     id = r;  

     name = n;  

     }  

  

     void display (){System.out.println(id+" "+name+" "+company);}  

  

    public static void main(String args[]){  

    Employee.change();  

  

    Employee e1 = new Employee (111,"John");  

    Employee e2 = new Employee (123,"Alex");  

    e1.display();  

    e2.display();  

    }  
}  

Output of this code will be:

111 John SRT
123 Alex SRT

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Answer 2

A static method has two main purposes:

1. For utility or helper methods that don't require any object state. Since there is no need to access instance variables, having static methods eliminates the need for the caller to instantiate the object just to call the method.
2. For the state that is shared by all instances of the class, like a counter. All instance must share the same state. Methods that merely use that state should be static as well.