Can You Call a Static Member Method on a Class Instance in C ?

C Static Member Method Invocation on Class Instance

In C , static member methods are typically called using the class name itself, rather than an instance of the class. However, there arises a question: can static member methods be invoked on class instances?

The given code snippet demonstrates an intriguing behavior:

class Test
{
public:
    static void DoCrash(){ std::cout <p>On Visual Studio 2008 SP1, this code successfully compiles and outputs "TEST IT!". Contrary to the usual expectation, a static method is seemingly invoked on an instance of the class.</p><p><strong>1. Are You Wrong? Is the Code Correct?</strong></p><p>Based on the C   standard, calling a static member method on an instance is not incorrect. The standard explicitly states in 9.4 (Static Members):</p><blockquote>"A static member of class X may be referred to using the qualified-id expression X::s; it is not necessary to use the class member access syntax (5.2.5) to refer to a static member."</blockquote><p>In other words, it is not a requirement to use the class name to access static members. Class member access syntax is permissible, but the object-expression is evaluated in that case.</p><p><strong>2. Why Is This Allowed?</strong></p><p>The standard allows for static members to be invoked on instances to facilitate the use of "static or not" methods in templates. Templates often require the ability to call a function without knowing whether it's static or not. By allowing static member invocation on instances, the compiler can always determine the correct function to call, regardless of its static status.</p>

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