Static v/s Non-Static

[Murtuza Akhtari]

What is the output of the following code?

1:    class Test
2:    {
3:        Test(int i)
4:        {
5:            System.out.println("Test(" +i +")");
6:        }
7:    }
8:
9:    public class Q12
10:   {
11:        static Test  t1 = new Test(1);
12:
13:        Test         t2 = new Test(2);
14:
15:        static Test  t3 = new Test(3);
16:
17:        public static void main(String[] args)
18:        {
19:            Q12 Q = new Q12();
20:        }
21:    }

A) Test(1)
Test(2)
Test(3)

B) Test(3)
Test(2)
Test(1)

C) Test(2)
Test(1)
Test(3)

D) Test(1)
Test(3)
Test(2)

Answer : D
Explanation : No matter where they are declared, static variables will be initialized before non-static variables

I m still confused about the printing order...In the first call to the constructor why wouldnt Test(2) print before Test(3) even if 2 is initialized later?

[ August 09, 2004: Message edited by: Murtuza Akhtari ]
[ August 09, 2004: Message edited by: Murtuza Akhtari ]

[Aarti Dahiya]

Static variables are declared and initialized when the class gets loaded at runtime. Since they are not tied to a specific instance of a class, their declaration and initialization does not wait for an instance of a class to be created. t1 and t3 are declared and initialized when the class is loaded, so the Test construtor is called twice separately and prints Test1, Test3.
main() is executed at runtime after the class has been loaded. In main() when an instance of class Q12 is created, its instance variable t2 is declared and initialized. The Test construcor is called and prints Test2.

[Murtuza Akhtari]

Thanks Aarti !!