Should a java class' final fields always be static?

Question

I could not find any references online about this. But just wanted to know if final fields in a class should always be static or is it just a convention. Based on my understanding of their uses, I feel that it is more of a logical thing to do than something that is imposed by the language.

Answer 1

Of course not. They must be static if they belong to the class, and not be static if they belong to the instance of the class:

public class ImmutablePerson {     private static final int MAX_LAST_NAME_LENGTH = 255; // belongs to the type     private final String firstName; // belongs to the instance     private final String lastName; // belongs to the instance      public ImmutablePerson(String firstName, String lastName) {         if (lastName.length() > MAX_LAST_NAME_LENGTH) {             throw new IllegalArgumentException("last name too large");         }         this.firstName = firstName;         this.lastName = lastName;     }      // getters omitted for brevity }