Question: I'm havinh a problem on PHP 5.3. I need to call a method by using `__callStatic`, but if I use it in a instancied object, PHP call `__call` instead.

Above a real life example:

```
<?php

    class A {
        function __call($method, $args){
            // Note: $this is defined!
            echo "Ops! Don't works. {$this->c}";
        }

        static function __callStatic($method, $args){
            echo 'Fine!';
        }
    }

    class B extends A {
        public $c = 'Real Ops!';

        function useCallStatic(){
            static::foo();
            // === A::foo();
            // === B::foo();
        }
    }

    $foo = new B();
    $foo->useCallStatic();

    // This works:
    // B::foo();

?>

```

**Prints**: Ops! Don't works. Real Ops!

Note that I call `useCallStatic` from a `new B()`. If I call directly works fine like `B::foo()`.

What I can do to it works fine?

Answer: 
After thinking about it, it's not really a bug. But it's definitely unintuitive.

```
<?php
class A
{
  public function foo()
  {
    static::bar();
  }

  public function bar()
  {
    echo "bar()\n";
  }
}

$a = new A();
$a->foo();

```

This is valid, and calls bar(). It does not mean call bar statically. It means to look up the current class name and call function `bar` if it exists, whether or not it's a static function.

To clarify a bit more: do you think `parent::bar()` means to call a static function called `bar()`? No, it means call whatever function is named `bar()`. 

Consider:

```
<?php
class A
{
  function __call($name, $args)
  {
    echo "__call()\n";
  }

  static function __callStatic($name, $ags)
  {
    echo "__callStatic()\n";
  }

  function regularMethod()
  {
    echo "regularMethod()\n";
  }

  static function staticMethod()
  {
    echo "staticMethod()\n";
  }

}

class B extends A
{
  function foo()
  {
    parent::nonExistant();   
    static::nonExistant();
    parent::regularMethod();
    parent::staticMethod(); 
  }
}

$b = new B();
$b->foo();

```

The `parent::nonExistant()` method invokes `A::__call()`, as does `static::nonExistant()`. Invoking `A::__callStatic()` for *either* call would be equally as valid! There is no way for PHP to know which one you want to be called. However, by design, PHP gives `__call` the priority when invoked from this sort of context.

`parent::regularMethod()` invokes the non static function `regularMethod()`. (Again, the `::` operator does not mean "call this static function.") Likewise `parent::staticMethod()` invokes `A::staticMethod()` as one might expect.

To solve your problem: 

You could manually call `self::__callStatic('foo')` in the inherited class.

Or within the `__call` method of class A filter against a known list and call `self::__callStatic`.

```
function __call($f, $a)
{
  if ($f == 'foo')
    return self::__callStatic($f, $a); 
  else
  {
  }
}

```

It's ugly, but at least people who extend the class won't need to do anything special.
This is probably due to the standard notation of calling parent methods, regardless of state. You could check if the `$this` keyword is set in the `__call` method and if not, make a call to `__callStatic` ?

EDIT: This isn't a bug per se, the static call is being made from an object context. Take a look at [this bug thread on php](http://bugs.php.net/51176).