[php] How to initialize static variables

Instead of finding a way to get static variables working, I prefer to simply create a getter function. Also helpful if you need arrays belonging to a specific class, and a lot simpler to implement.

class MyClass
{
   public static function getTypeList()
   {
       return array(
           "type_a"=>"Type A",
           "type_b"=>"Type B",
           //... etc.
       );
   }
}

Wherever you need the list, simply call the getter method. For example:

if (array_key_exists($type, MyClass::getTypeList()) {
     // do something important...
}