Benefits of using class func vs func vs no class declaration

Question

Ok so I have a a bunch of helper functions in my project that I originally had in a class called Animate. I was wonder what are the benefits of declaring func vc class func.

Answer 1

I agree with (and upvoted) @Duncan C's answer, but just thought I'd throw in a couple of other pros/cons.

I tend to like global functions over class methods because global functions don't clutter up my classes. I like to keep my classes lean and thin. The global functions can be kept in a separate file that I can copy and paste, or import, into a given project as I need them. So I might have a file in my project called AnimateHelperFunctions that is just global functions related to that class. A given project may only need a couple of them, or most of them, or those plus a couple more that I discover I need. I can delete the ones I don't use in a given project from the file so as to keep that file neat and trim.

I just think that global functions are more modular and encourage me to factor out single tasks for a single function - a good global helper function that does exactly one thing and does it perfectly can also sometimes be abstracted or made generic and used in other contexts as well. You might have a project sometime where you realize you don't need the class - you just need its helper function, and there it is.

I would prefer a hundred simple global functions that I can pick and choose from over a giant bloated class.

You can accomplish much the same thing with extensions, of course, and to some degree it is a matter of taste, as there is very little difference (any?) between class methods and global functions except that to use the class method you have to drag along the entire class.

Unlike global state, there isn't any danger in a global function. Sure, anyone can call it, but the same is true of class methods, and the global function can only operate on the arguments you pass to it.