Question

It is a very simple question, but I think it is a little bit controversial.

When I code Java classes I use the following order.

class Foo {

    // static fields
    // instance fields
    // constructors
    // methods (non-static and static methods are mixed but sorted based on their functionalities)
}

I read an article that says:
(From http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/makinggwtbetter.html#codestyle)

Java types should have the following member order:

Nested Types (mixing inner and static classes is okay)
Static Fields
Static Initializers
Static Methods
Instance Fields
Instance Initializers
Constructors
Instance Methods

If I follow the article, the order above should be

class Foo {

    // static fields
    // static methods
    // instance fields
    // constructors
    // instance methods
}

In the case of the latter, I feel uncomfortable having some methods before constructors.
Which one is the more widely-used convention?

Answer 1

I believe Sun’s (now Oracle’s) Java coding standards are more widely used. This is what you are currently using too.

From Code Conventions for the Java TM Programming Language :

3.1.3 Class and Interface Declarations

The following table describes the parts of a class or interface declaration, in the order that they
should appear.

1. Class/interface documentation comment ( /*…/)
2. class or interface statement
3. Class/interface implementation comment ( /…/), if necessary
4. Class (static) variables
5. Instance variables
6. Constructors
7. Methods