>>Hi,
>>
>>I've haven't looked properly at the links you provided but quickly testing your code below shows that the value for ConnString() is assigned on program startup - i.e. before any reference it made to it. That's what I was trying to avoid.
>>
>Back with vs2010 ...
>
>
>(1) beforeFieldInit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd310284.aspx
>
>The just-in-time (JIT) compiler’s inliner has been significantly improved to generate better quality code.
>However, changing the inliner has an impact on applications that have classes instantiated with constructors
>that use the TypeAttributes.BeforeFieldInit enumeration value.
>Static initialization of these types is guaranteed to occur at a time before any of the static fields are accessed,
>but not before a static method or instance constructor is invoked.
>The exact time when the class constructor is invoked can be different in the .NET Framework version 3.5 and 3.5 SP1.
>
>
>What I understand is
>(a) Static initialization of the field(s) is guaranteed to occur before any static field of the class is accessed
>It may be at app startup - but my tests indicate that it does not occur at startup
>
>(b) static initialization of those static fields is NOT guaranteed before a static method or instance constructor is invoked
>This is what I thought of - but the tests below will prove me wrong
>[ not guaranteed does not mean that it won't ]
>
>
>When does a class receive the 'beforeFieldInit' attribute ?
>
>It gets that attribute if it does not have a static constructor
>
>
>test program
>
>(1) The static (inline) constructors are not invoked (NoAccessAtAll) when the class is not 'touched'
>
>(2) Accessing any static field, any static method or instantiating the class invokes the static inline initializers
>
>
>How is (2) done ? It makes a static constructor when there's none provided - see ildasm
>[ when you do have a static constructor - the static inline initializers are merged into your static constructor]
>
>
>(3) With accessors
>In the case of class Four - the accessor is not invoked when the class is instantiated - which was your point
>
>Class Four does not have a dummy static constructor
>
>
>In short
>Static constructors - explicit or inline - fire on first access or when the class is instantiated
>A way around that is the use of an accessor
>
>
>BeforeFieldInit or not - not much difference
>
>
>

>namespace BaseTest
>{
>	
>	class test2
>	{
>		
>
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		public static void Main( string[] args )
>		{
>			//uncomment any - but only one - method at a time for each run
>
>
>			//NoAccessAtAll();  // not invoked
>			//AccessAnyField(); // invoked
>			//InvokeStaticMethod(); // invoked
>			//InstanceConstructor(); // invoked
>
>			//FullAccessAnyField(); // invoked
>			//FullInvokeStaticMethod(); // invoked
>
>			//var xx = new Three();
>			// var xx = Three.xx;
>
>
>			//var xx = new Four();  // not invoked
>			//var yy = Four.InLine;  // invoked
>			Terminate();	
>		}
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		static void NoAccessAtAll()
>		{
>
>		}
>
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		static void AccessAnyField() // constructor Invoked
>		{
>			string pp = StaticTest.AField;
>			
>		}
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		static void InvokeStaticMethod()
>		{
>			StaticTest.Hello();
>		}
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		static void InstanceConstructor()
>		{
>			var tt = new StaticTest();
>		}
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>
>		static void FullAccessAnyField() // constructor Invoked
>		{
>			string pp = FullStaticTest.AField;
>
>		}
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		static void FullInvokeStaticMethod()
>		{
>			FullStaticTest.Hello();
>		}
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>
>		static void Terminate()
>		{
>			Console.Write("Any key top stop");
>			Console.ReadKey();
>		}
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>	}
>	//______________________________________________________________________
>#if false  // implied static class constructor
>	.method private hidebysig specialname rtspecialname static 
>        void  .cctor() cil managed
>{
>  // Code size       21 (0x15)
>  .maxstack  8
>  IL_0000:  call       string BaseTest.StaticTest::InitName()
>  IL_0005:  stsfld     string BaseTest.StaticTest::Name
>  IL_000a:  ldstr      ""
>  IL_000f:  stsfld     string BaseTest.StaticTest::AField
>  IL_0014:  ret
>} // end of method StaticTest::.cctor
>#endif
>	//______________________________________________________________________
>	class StaticTest
>	{
>		public static string Name = InitName();
>		public static string AField = "";
>
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		static string InitName()
>		{
>			Console.WriteLine("Static Constructor InitName Invoked");
>			return "MyName";
>		}
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		public static string Hello()
>		{
>			return "Hello";
>		}
>	}
>
>	//______________________________________________________________________
>	static class FullStaticTest
>	{
>		public static string Name = InitName();
>		public static string AField = "";
>
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		static string InitName()
>		{
>			Console.WriteLine("Static Constructor InitName Invoked");
>			return "MyName";
>		}
>		//______________________________________________________________________
>		public static string Hello()
>		{
>			return "Hello";
>		}
>	}
>	//______________________________________________________________________
>	static class NoFields
>	{
>		static string xx;
>
>		public static string Hello()
>		{
>			return "Hello";
>		}
>	}
>	//______________________________________________________________________
>	//______________________________________________________________________
>	class Three
>	{
>		public static string xx;
>
>		static Three()
>		{
>			xx = "xx";
>			Console.WriteLine("Static Constructor Three Invoked");
>		}
>
>	}
>	//______________________________________________________________________
>	class Four
>	{
>		private static string _InLine;
>
>		public static string InLine
>		{
>			get
>			{
>				if (_InLine == null)
>				{
>					Console.WriteLine("Static Constructor Four Inline Invoked");
>					_InLine = "xxx";
>				}
>				return _InLine;
>
>			}
>			
>		}
>	}
>
>	//______________________________________________________________________
>}
>
>

Hi,

Haven't found time to try this but I get the gist. Of course I was wrong to say that the initialization took place at startup - it would have been the self-generated constructor firing immediately before I accessed the property.

Your use of the accessor above is pretty much what I meant about using 'lazy' loading......
Best,
Viv