C# NullRefException accessing static class, array value

Questions & Answers
1

Hey Guys,
This is driving me insane.
I decided on using a class array to access upgrade stats instead of a list. But something so seemingly simple is throwing an error and for the life of me I can’t see it.

Very simply I created a class to hold an array of another class:

public static class GlobalVariables {
public class statClass
{
    	public int Dmg { get; set; }
    	public int FX { get; set; }
    	public int Blast { get; set; }
    }
    	
    public class statHolder
    {
    	public statClass[] chicken = new statClass[3];
    	public statClass[] sheep = new statClass[3];
    	public statClass[] pig = new statClass[3];
    	public statClass[] cow = new statClass[3];
        public int[] someInts = new int[5];
    }

public static statHolder currentStats = new statHolder();

As you can see, I’ve created an instance of the ‘statHolder’ class called ‘currentStats’.
The ‘statHolder’ class contains 4 arrays of the class ‘statClass’, which will contain some public values (that are currently uninitialized, which is irrelevant).

Now when I try to call or access these values from another class’s Start() method:

GlobalVariables.currentStats.chicken[0].Dmg = 5;

I get the good old “NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object”.
But that is a bold-faced LIE.
“chicken[0]” IS an instance of statClass as specified by “chicken = new statClass[3];”. I’m so angry I want to punch a baby in the face.

There’s obviously a disconnect between declaring the statClass arrays and accessing them, but I am too close to the forest to see the trees.
To check my sanity i created another array with the exact same type of declaration called ‘someInts’. Accessing them in exactly the same way works fine:

GlobalVariables.currentStats.someInts[0] = 5;

Can anyone point out to me where my mistake is? Because right now I’m inclined to assume that C# is just being a finicky bitch. Serves me right for trying to do something the easy way I guess.

//// UPDATE ////

Thanks guys, very clear where the disconnect was now.
Initial value of a reference is always null.

public class statHolder
{
	public statClass[] chicken = new statClass[3]{new statClass(), new statClass(), new statClass()};
	public statClass[] sheep = new statClass[3]{new statClass(), new statClass(), new statClass()};
	public statClass[] pig = new statClass[3]{new statClass(), new statClass(), new statClass()};
	public statClass[] cow = new statClass[3]{new statClass(), new statClass(), new statClass()};
}
2

When you create an array of any reference type, the initial value of all the indexes is initialized as null. That’s why you get the null reference error.

When you make an array of int or other value type, it will be initialized full of the default value of that variable type, 0 in the case of int. int cannot have the value null so for sure you won’t get a null ref error referencing an index of an existing int[] array.