Initialize class fields in constructor or at declaration?

Question

I\'ve been programming in C# and Java recently and I am curious where the best place is to initialize my class fields.

Should I do it at declaration?:

Answer 1

Assuming the type in your example, definitely prefer to initialize fields in the constructor. The exceptional cases are:

• Fields in static classes/methods
• Fields typed as static/final/et al

I always think of the field listing at the top of a class as the table of contents (what is contained herein, not how it is used), and the constructor as the introduction. Methods of course are chapters.