<?xml version="1.0"?> <clause number="17.4.4" title="Field initialization"> <paragraph>The initial value of a field, whether it be a static field or an instance field, is the default value (<hyperlink>12.2</hyperlink>) of the field's type. It is not possible to observe the value of a field before this default initialization has occurred, and a field is thus never "uninitialized". <example>[Example: The example <code_example><![CDATA[ using System; class Test { static bool b; int i; static void Main() { Test t = new Test(); Console.WriteLine("b = {0}, i = {1}", b, t.i); } } ]]></code_example>produces the output <code_example><![CDATA[ b = False, i = 0 ]]></code_example>because b and i are both automatically initialized to default values. end example]</example> </paragraph> </clause>