why does C standard allow this declaration

[sunny]

Hi

Why does C allows declaration of variable inside switch block.
ex: foll prg does not gives "undeclared "b" error msg. but also does
not initialize b to 20
int a=1;
switch(a)
{
int b=20;
case 1: printf("b is %d\n",b);
break;
default:printf( "b is %d\n",b);
break;
}

this prints some garbage.
( yeah even though i got warning msg "unreachabl e code int b = 20" why
is it declaring inside switch block but not initializing b)

[Chris McDonald]

"sunny" <su*******@gmai l.comwrites:

>Why does C allows declaration of variable inside switch block.
ex: foll prg does not gives "undeclared "b" error msg. but also does
not initialize b to 20
int a=1;
switch(a)
{
int b=20;
case 1: printf("b is %d\n",b);
break;
default:printf( "b is %d\n",b);
break;
}

>this prints some garbage.
( yeah even though i got warning msg "unreachabl e code int b = 20" why
is it declaring inside switch block but not initializing b)

Programs do not give warnings about themselves;
different compilers may give different warnings and errors.

You will probably be horrified by Duff's Device:

http://www.lysator.liu.se/c/duffs-de...l#duffs-device
http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/D/Duffs-device.html

--
Chris,

[Tejas Kokje]

sunny wrote:

Hi

Why does C allows declaration of variable inside switch block.
ex: foll prg does not gives "undeclared "b" error msg. but also does
not initialize b to 20
int a=1;
switch(a)
{
int b=20;
case 1: printf("b is %d\n",b);
break;
default:printf( "b is %d\n",b);
break;
}

this prints some garbage.
( yeah even though i got warning msg "unreachabl e code int b = 20" why
is it declaring inside switch block but not initializing b)

It depends on your compiler. I am using gcc and it throws following
warning message

[kokje@RocketFue l ~]$ gcc test.c -o test
test.c: In function `main':
test.c:7: warning: unreachable code at beginning of switch statement

What compiler are you using ?

Tejas Kokje

[Ancient_Hacker]

sunny wrote:

Hi

Why does C allows declaration of variable inside switch block.
ex: foll prg does not gives "undeclared "b" error msg. but also does
not initialize b to 20
int a=1;
switch(a)
{
int b=20;
case 1: printf("b is %d\n",b);
break;
default:printf( "b is %d\n",b);
break;
}

this is an unfortunate side efect of allowing declarations at the
beginning of any block, and the switch statement requiring a block, or
at least to be useful;

In general it's not fair to look for extreme sense in C, it was just
supposed to be a pragmatic, ad-hoc language for use by some genius
coders at Bell Labs, 30+ years ago, for hecks sake!

[sunny]

i am using gcc available with Cygwin

Tejas Kokje wrote:

sunny wrote:

Hi

Why does C allows declaration of variable inside switch block.
ex: foll prg does not gives "undeclared "b" error msg. but also does
not initialize b to 20
int a=1;
switch(a)
{
int b=20;
case 1: printf("b is %d\n",b);
break;
default:printf( "b is %d\n",b);
break;
}

this prints some garbage.
( yeah even though i got warning msg "unreachabl e code int b = 20" why
is it declaring inside switch block but not initializing b)

It depends on your compiler. I am using gcc and it throws following
warning message

[kokje@RocketFue l ~]$ gcc test.c -o test
test.c: In function `main':
test.c:7: warning: unreachable code at beginning of switch statement

What compiler are you using ?

Tejas Kokje

[mark_bluemel]

sunny wrote:

Hi

Why does C allows declaration of variable inside switch block.

because it allows declaration of variables inside any braced block.

ex: foll prg does not gives "undeclared "b" error msg. but also does
not initialize b to 20
int a=1;
switch(a)
{
int b=20;
case 1: printf("b is %d\n",b);
break;
default:printf( "b is %d\n",b);
break;
}

this prints some garbage.
( yeah even though i got warning msg "unreachabl e code int b = 20" why
is it declaring inside switch block but not initializing b)

automatic variables (of which b is an example) are initialized as if by
an assignment (I'm talking casually here).

So it's as if the block starts with :-
{
int b; /* declaration */
b = 20; /* initialization */
case 1: <etc>

But in a switch statement only the operations following "case" or
"default" are executed. Hence the variable b is declared, but not
initialized.

[jmcgill]

Chris McDonald wrote:

You will probably be horrified by Duff's Device:

I'm not so much horrified as puzzled by the location of the while.
Is it the equivalent of a goto into a do loop?

[mark_bluemel]

sunny wrote:

Hi

Why does C allows declaration of variable inside switch block.

I went back to my dog-eared copy of K & R (1st edition).

On P.203 it says "Declaratio ns may appear at the head of [the subject
of a switch], but initializations of automatic and register variables
are ineffective".

So one answer to "why?" is "because that's what K & R said".

[A. Bolmarcich]

On 2006-09-20, sunny <su*******@gmai l.comwrote:

Hi

Why does C allows declaration of variable inside switch block.
ex: foll prg does not gives "undeclared "b" error msg. but also does
not initialize b to 20
int a=1;
switch(a)
{
int b=20;
case 1: printf("b is %d\n",b);
break;
default:printf( "b is %d\n",b);
break;
}

this prints some garbage.
( yeah even though i got warning msg "unreachabl e code int b = 20" why
is it declaring inside switch block but not initializing b)

As the warning message stated, the initialization is unreachable code.
According to the specification:

Storage is guaranteed to be reserved for a new instance of such an
object on each normal entry into the block with which it is associated,
or on a jump from outside the block to a labeled statement in the
block or in an enclosed block. If any initialization is specified for
the value stored in the object, it is performed on each normal entry,
but not if the block is entered by a jump to a labeled statement.

The compiler is conforming to the specification, and it is giving a
warning about the initialization not being performed.

[Frederick Gotham]

lovecreatesbea. [e-mail] posted:

ma**********@po box.com wrote:

>sunny wrote:

Hi

Why does C allows declaration of variable inside switch block.

because it allows declaration of variables inside any braced block.

Old C doesn't allow variables to be declared everywhere, right?

No, all declarations must appear at the beginning of a block, before any
expression statements.

What's the difference between a declaration and a statement?

A declaration declares something. Here are some examples of declarations:

int i;
typedef unsigned UInt;
int Func();

(the first one is a definition as well as a declaration.)

--

Frederick Gotham