PHP overloads the `static` keyword. In instance variables, it means the classical OOP usage. In local variables (stack instead of heap) it means something else. This code demonstrates that something else.

example_of_static_in_php.php

<?php

function get_random_num( $start = 1, $finish = 2 )
{
	static $rand;
	if ( ! isset( $rand ) )
	{
		$rand = rand( $start, $finish );
	}
	return $rand;
}

for ( $i = 0; $i < 10; $i++ )
{
	printf( "%s ", get_random_num( $i, $i + 20 ) ); // Prints the same random number to the screen 10 times
}