Runtime Flow blog (Understanding a control flow in a running .NET application)

Joe Duffy presented an interesting example where order of members initialization is different between C# and C++ in his On partially-constructed objects blog post. “In C#, member initializers run from most derived first, to least derived. In C++, however, member initializers run alongside the ordinary construction process.” I’ve traced his examples in Runtime Flow:

C# initialization

C++ initialization

You see how in C# E’s member is constructed even before the D object, while in C++ E’s member is constructed the last. It is interesting to note that while logically members are initialized before constructors, technically constructors start first and then immediately initialize members.