JVM 7 Class Initialization Processing Order Test

package test.cert;

/*
 * author: Nick Humphrey, http://nickhumphreyit.blogspot.no/
 * date: 20131126
 *
 * java certification practice exam question about runtime initialization process:
 * http://education.oracle.com/pls/web_prod-plq-dad/db_pages.getpage?page_id=303&p_certName=SQ1Z0_803
 *
 * JVM 7 runtime initialization process:
 * http://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se7/html/jls-12.html#jls-12.4
 *
 *
 * NOTE: i ran this file with debug breakpoints on all lines of code to find the processing order and here's what i found:
 *
 *      access modifiers for variables and methods (private, public, protected, etc) don't seem to affect processing order, ALTHOUGH the "main" method must have the "public" modifier
 *
 *      standard getter and setter methods for variables don't get processed
 *
 *      "static final" variables don't get processed by the JVM during initialization or instantiation of the class, i.e. debugger never stops on their breakpoints
 *
 *
 * processing order:
 * 1. static variables and static initialization blocks, in textual order of appearance
 * 2. "main" method:
 *      2.1 begin executing any logic encountered
 *          2.1.1 if a call to instantiate the containing class is made (i.e. "new JVMClassInitializationProcessingOrderTest()"), temporarily pause execution of "main" method logic
 *              2.1.1.1 initialize (non-static) instance variables and (non-static) initialization blocks, in textual order of appearance
 *              2.1.1.2 process the class' constructor
 *              2.1.1.3 resume execution of the remaining logic in the "main" method
 */

class JVMClassInitializationProcessingOrderTest {
    // "static final" variable
    static final String staticFinalVar = "staticFinalVar"; // breakpoint, processing order: not processed

    // "static" method, called internally during initialization of "static" variable "staticVar2"
    static String initStaticVar2() {
        return "staticVar2"; // breakpoint, processing order: 3
    }

    // "final" instance variable
    final String finalInstVar1 = "finalInstVar1"; // breakpoint, processing order: 7

    // initializer block: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/javaOO/initial.html
    {
        System.out.println("init block"); // breakpoint, processing order: 8
    }

    // instance variable
    String instVar1 = "instVar1"; // breakpoint, processing order: 9

    // "static" variable
    static String staticVar1 = "staticVar1"; // breakpoint, processing order: 1

    // "static initializer block": http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/javaOO/initial.html
    static {
        System.out.println("static init block 1"); // breakpoint, processing order: 2
    }

    // class constructor
    JVMClassInitializationProcessingOrderTest() {
        System.out.println("constructor"); // breakpoint, processing order: 10
    }

    // instance method, called internally in "main" method
    void go() {
        System.out.println("go"); // breakpoint, processing order: 11
    }

    // "static" variable
    static String staticVar2 = initStaticVar2(); // breakpoint, processing order: 4

    // "main" method
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        new JVMClassInitializationProcessingOrderTest().go(); // breakpoint, processing order: 6
        System.out.println(JVMClassInitializationProcessingOrderTest.staticFinalVar); // breakpoint, processing order: 12
    }

    // "static initializer block": http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/javaOO/initial.html
    static {
        System.out.println("static init block 2"); // breakpoint, processing order: 5
    }
}