The __callStatic Method

The __callStatic method is a magic method in PHP that is automatically called when attempting to call a non-existent or inaccessible static method. Its first parameter is the name of the called method, and the second is an array of passed arguments.

Syntax

phppublic static function __callStatic(string $name, array $arguments);

Example

Let's create a class with the __callStatic method and try to call a non-existent static method:

php<?php
class MyClass {
  public static function __callStatic($name, $args) {
    echo "Called static method '$name' with arguments: ";
    print_r($args);
  }
}

MyClass::nonExistentMethod(1, 2, 3);
?>

Code execution result:

phpCalled static method 'nonExistentMethod' with arguments: [1, 2, 3]

Example

Let's implement a simple facade for creating objects of different types:

php<?php
class Factory {
  public static function __callStatic($name, $args) {
    if (strpos($name, 'create') === 0) {
      $className = substr($name, 6);
      return new $className(...$args);
    }
    throw new Exception("Method $name not found");
  }
}

class User {}
$user = Factory::createUser();
var_dump($user instanceof User);
?>

Code execution result:

phptrue

See Also