Setting a static final variable in constructor

Question

what i basicly want is this:

public class Test 
{    
   private static final Integer a;

   public Test(Integer a) 
   {
      this.a = a;
   }

}

This obviously doesn't work, cause the 2nd created instance would try to override the final variable. So is there a way to give all the instances the same immutable value via the constructor?

Answer 1

Static final values should be initialized in a static context, not by instances.

One options is to set the value in the declaration:

private static final Integer a=FileConfig.getInstance().getA();

Each class can have a static {} block where code is called to initialize the static parts of the class.

static {
    a = FileConfig.getInstance().getA();
}

Finally, you can set the value from a static method

private static int getA() {
    return FileConfig.getInstance().getA();
}

private static final Integer a=getA();

In closure, static instance initialization does not belong in instance constructors.

If the configuration values change sometimes, there is simply no reason to store the value a in a static final variable. If you want to create each instance with the constant a in the constructor, what is the purpose of a static field in the first place? Somehow, when you call the constructor for the first time, you are passing in a value from somewhere. If the value deserves to be static and final, you can acquire it from within the static initializer. If the configuration is not a singleton, but every instance always produces the same value of a, you could easily do a = new FileConfig().getA();.

Other than that, you could make the value non-final, and rest assured that since you always put in the same value of a, the static variable will not change.

Still, you could make a a final instance variable of the class, set in the constructor.

Answer 2

So is there a way to give all the instances the same immutable value via the constructor?

I assume you want a value to be assigned to a the first time an object of type Test is created but not when any subsequent instance is created. In that case you cannot declare it final. a will be null initially, the constructor has to check if it is null and assign it a value in that case.

But I urge you to look at the design, especially why the caller have to provide the value. Isn't it counter-intuitive that after the second Test object is created Test.a does not change in the following case?

// assume this is the first `Test` object created:
Test t = new Test(5); // Test.a is 5
Test t = new Test(6); // Test.a is *still* 5