<P> A static method can be invoked even if no instances of the class exist yet . Static methods are called "static" because they are resolved at compile time based on the class they are called on and not dynamically as in the case with instance methods, which are resolved polymorphically based on the runtime type of the object . </P> <P> Copy - assignment operators define actions to be performed by the compiler when a class object is assigned to a class object of the same type . </P> <P> Operator methods define or redefine operator symbols and define the operations to be performed with the symbol and the associated method parameters . C++ Example: </P> <P> Some procedural languages were extended with object - oriented capabilities to leverage the large skill sets and legacy code for those languages but still provide the benefits of object - oriented development . Perhaps the most well - known example is C++, an object - oriented extension of the C programming language . Due to the design requirements to add the object - oriented paradigm on to an existing procedural language, message passing in C++ has some unique capabilities and terminologies . For example, in C++ a method is known as a member function . C++ also has the concept of virtual functions which are member functions that can be overridden in derived classes and allow for dynamic dispatch . </P>

The process of copying data between method calls is referred to in programming as