syntax error, unexpected 'if' (T_IF)

Question

I think I\'ve been staring at this for too long that now I\'m failing to identify the problem.

Can someone kindly point out where this is going wrong?

Error:

Answer 1

public static function textbox($name, $maxlength=''){
    return "";
}

should be:

public static function textbox($name, $maxlength=''){
    $ret = "";
}