Is this a Method or some thing else?

[Quang Pham]

Hi
I hapen to see code like this:
----------------------
static {
if (MyActionForm.getMyStaticField() == null){
MyActionForm.setMyStaticField("Mountain");
}
}
----------------------
This code is inside a class where all variables are declared.
Can any one tell me if this is a method or some thing else?
Thanks

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

It's called a "static initialization block". The code is executed once, when the class is loaded.

If you ever see one without the "static", it's just an "initialization block", and that code is prepended to all the class's constructors.

[Quang Pham]

Thanks