Yes, they will, please see clause 15.5.6.2 of the C# specification: The static field variable initializers of a class correspond to a sequence of assignments that are executed in the textual order in which they appear in the class declaration (§15.5.6.1). Within a partial class, the meaning of “textual order” is specified by §15.5.6.1. If … Read more
Static initializers are useful as cletus mentioned and I use them in the same manner. If you have a static variable that is to be initialized when the class is loaded, then a static initializer is the way to go, especially as it allows you to do a complex initialization and still have the static … Read more
Because it is not possible to handle these checked exceptions in your source. You do not have any control over the initialization process and static{} blocks cannot be called from your source so that you could surround them with try-catch. Because you cannot handle any error indicated by a checked exception, it was decided to … Read more
Yes, Java static initializers are thread safe (use your first option). However, if you want to ensure that the code is executed exactly once you need to make sure that the class is only loaded by a single class-loader. Static initialization is performed once per class-loader.
See section 12.4 and 12.5 of the JLS version 8, they go into gory detail about all of this (12.4 for static and 12.5 for instance variables). For static initialization (section 12.4): A class or interface type T will be initialized immediately before the first occurrence of any one of the following: T is a … Read more
The code block with the static modifier signifies a class initializer; without the static modifier the code block is an instance initializer. Class initializers are executed in the order they are defined (top down, just like simple variable initializers) when the class is loaded (actually, when it’s resolved, but that’s a technicality). Instance initializers are … Read more