[php] Static class initializer in PHP

I have an helper class with some static functions. All the functions in the class require a ‘heavy’ initialization function to run once (as if it were a constructor).

Is there a good practice for achieving this?

The only thing I thought of was calling an init function, and breaking its flow if it has already run once (using a static $initialized var). The problem is that I need to call it on every one of the class’s functions.

// file Foo.php
class Foo
{
  static function init() { /* ... */ }
}

Foo::init();

This way, the initialization happens when the class file is included. You can make sure this only happens when necessary (and only once) by using autoloading.

There is a way to call the init() method once and forbid it's usage, you can turn the function into private initializer and ivoke it after class declaration like this:

class Example {
    private static function init() {
        // do whatever needed for class initialization
    }
}
(static function () {
    static::init();
})->bindTo(null, Example::class)();

NOTE: This is exactly what OP said they did. (But didn't show code for.) I show the details here, so that you can compare it to the accepted answer. My point is that OP's original instinct was, IMHO, better than the answer he accepted.

Given how highly upvoted the accepted answer is, I'd like to point out the "naive" answer to one-time initialization of static methods, is hardly more code than that implementation of Singleton -- and has an essential advantage.

final class MyClass  {
    public static function someMethod1() {
        MyClass::init();
        // whatever
    }

    public static function someMethod2() {
        MyClass::init();
        // whatever
    }


    private static $didInit = false;

    private static function init() {
        if (!self::$didInit) {
            self::$didInit = true;
            // one-time init code.
        }
    }

    // private, so can't create an instance.
    private function __construct() {
        // Nothing to do - there are no instances.
    }
}

The advantage of this approach, is that you get to call with the straightforward static function syntax:

MyClass::someMethod1();

Contrast it to the calls required by the accepted answer:

MyClass::getInstance->someMethod1();

As a general principle, it is best to pay the coding price once, when you code a class, to keep callers simpler.

If you are NOT using PHP 7.4's opcode.cache, then use Victor Nicollet's answer. Simple. No extra coding required. No "advanced" coding to understand. (I recommend including FrancescoMM's comment, to make sure "init" will never execute twice.) See Szczepan's explanation of why Victor's technique won't work with opcode.cache.

If you ARE using opcode.cache, then AFAIK my answer is as clean as you can get. The cost is simply adding the line MyClass::init(); at start of every public method. NOTE: If you want public properties, code them as a get / set pair of methods, so that you have a place to add that init call.

(Private members do NOT need that init call, as they are not reachable from the outside - so some public method has already been called, by the time execution reaches the private member.)

Note - the RFC proposing this is still in the draft state.

class Singleton
{
    private static function __static()
    {
        //...
    }
    //...
}

proposed for PHP 7.x (see https://wiki.php.net/rfc/static_class_constructor )

I am posting this as an answer because this is very important as of PHP 7.4.

The opcache.preload mechanism of PHP 7.4 makes it possible to preload opcodes for classes. If you use it to preload a file that contains a class definition and some side effects, then classes defined in that file will "exist" for all subsequent scripts executed by this FPM server and its workers, but the side effects will not be in effect, and the autoloader will not require the file containing them because the class already "exists". This completely defeats any and all static initialization techniques that rely on executing top-level code in the file that contains the class definition.

If you don't like public static initializer, reflection can be a workaround.

<?php

class LanguageUtility
{
    public static function initializeClass($class)
    {
        try
        {
            // Get a static method named 'initialize'. If not found,
            // ReflectionMethod() will throw a ReflectionException.
            $ref = new \ReflectionMethod($class, 'initialize');

            // The 'initialize' method is probably 'private'.
            // Make it accessible before calling 'invoke'.
            // Note that 'setAccessible' is not available
            // before PHP version 5.3.2.
            $ref->setAccessible(true);

            // Execute the 'initialize' method.
            $ref->invoke(null);
        }   
        catch (Exception $e)
        {
        }
    }
}

class MyClass
{
    private static function initialize()
    {
    }
}

LanguageUtility::initializeClass('MyClass');

?>

Actually, I use a public static method __init__() on my static classes that require initialization (or at least need to execute some code). Then, in my autoloader, when it loads a class it checks is_callable($class, '__init__'). If it is, it calls that method. Quick, simple and effective...