Can a constructor be declared static?

[Yan Bai]

This is a question from Java Rule Round Up, the answer is NO. but I remember that static constructor is necessary for a singleton class but cannot find the document, if it is, then it is valid to have a static constructor though it is not very often used.
Am I missing something here?
Thanks,
-Yan

[Corey McGlone]

Even when implementing a singleton pattern, the constructor is not static. Rather, the constructor is private. There is another method, which is static, often named "instance" or "singleton" that invokes the constructor. A constructor can never be static.
Here's a sample of a class that implements the singleton pattern:

public class Earth
{
   private static _instance = null;
 
   // Private Constructor - Not Static
   private Earth() {}
 
   public static instance()
   {
      if ( _instance == null )
      {
         _instance = new Earth();
      }
      return _instance;
   }
}

I hope that helps,
Corey

[Thomas Paul]

A constructor can't be static because it works on an instance of an object.

[bani kaali]

No constructor can never be static