Why is the static keyword used in UITableViewCell identifiers?

Question

I\'ve read up on \"static\" on several occasions, including just before posting this question. I\'m still searching for an \"Aha\" though.

In the context of UITableView\

Answer 1

There's no real benefit here. It's mostly just a hint to the reader that the same value is used for all cells in this particular bit of code. As the identifier itself is a constant string, it gets compiled into an immutable chunk of memory and referenced as the same pointer every time, e.g. there is no cost involved in constructing the string even if you remove the static keyword.