You actually shouldn't do this!
This doesn't introduce a new scope, so accidentally using x outside of the case block is UB. Instead you should introduce a new scope like so:
switch (foo) {
case BAZ: {
int x = ...;
foobar(x);
}
}
You actually shouldn't do this!
This doesn't introduce a new scope, so accidentally using x outside of the case block is UB. Instead you should introduce a new scope like so:
switch (foo) {
case BAZ: {
int x = ...;
foobar(x);
}
}
Can confirm
What does assigning ... do in C? Is that just default type value or something?
probably just placeholder because what is actually assigned isn't relevant to the post
it's the easter egg operator. it assigns a random value to your variable. useful for when you need a quick source of good-enough randomness in computer games (/jk)
Relevant xkcd: https://xkcd.com/221/
question, why is a declaration not a statement?
from what i could find "because it was designed that way"
For what it's worth, C23 has updated labels to allow being placed before declarations.
Possibly because declarations were originally not statements in C? You could only declare variables at the start of a function, but not assign them to something at the same time.
Not sure why it still wouldn’t be allowed, though, especially if an empty statement can be a statement.
I think it evolved like that:
if an empty statement can be a statement.
Sometimes saying nothing is the loudest statement you can make. ;-)
When it's designed to be an expression
while (int x = 1) { ... Modify x to eventually be zero... }
That might make sense even if it looks weird. Kinda like a for loop.
int x = ...; isn't just a declaration. Both are totally fine in most modern languages.
Can confirm. I have to do this all the time. Some coworkers just delete it, and I have to explain the situation every time when they see in the git blame that I put that semicolon there.
As someone pointed out in another comment, in switch statements you should just start a new scope with {}. But in actual labels it's just better to put a load-bearing semicolon. You don't need to put it in another line though, I just put them like this:
int main() {
int *a = malloc(sizeof(*a));
if (init_a(a) <= 0) {
goto err;
}
do_something(a);
err:;
int ret = 0;
if (a == NULL) {
ret = -1;
}
free(a);
return ret;
}
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