How can I run a static constructor?

Question

I\'d like to execute the static constructor of a class (i.e. I want to \"load\" the class) without creating an instance. How do I do that?

Bonus question: Are there

Answer 1

The other answers are excellent, but if you need to force a class constructor to run without having a reference to the type (i.e. reflection), you can use RunClassConstructor:

Type type = ...;
System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.RunClassConstructor(type.TypeHandle);