for loop is terminated by semicolon... why????

[singharchi]

void Graphic::clearArea(int _x1,int _y1,int _x2,int _y2)
{
int i,j;
int x = whereX();
int y = whereY();
gotoxy(_x1,_y1);
for(j = _y1; j<=_y2 ; j++)
{
for(i = _x1;i<=_x2;i++)
{
gotoxy(i,j);
cout<<(" ");
}
}; // why this for loop is termineted by semicolon???????
gotoxy(x,y);
}

[donbock]

What makes you think the for loop is terminated by a semicolon?

Where did you find this code?

[JosAH]

@singharchi
Because the author of that snippet of code didn't know the C++ language syntax; i.e. there is an empty statement there.

kind regards,

Jos

[kkrish]

Hi,

Might be he is confused teh code is runing without any syntax error, It is because its a semicolon that represent end of line nothing else.

You can put like this also

void test()
{
;;
;;;
}

here would not be any error, because of semicolon.

[JosAH]

@kkrish
It doesn't have anything to do with an end of line: a semicolon by itself is simply the end of an empty statement. e.g. the following is fine:

int x= 40;
x= x+1;;;;;;;;;;;;x= x+1;
 

kind regards,

Jos

[kkrish]

Hi,

Yes, thats true and the same I was trying to convey

[donbock]

• End-of-line character is newline.
• End-of-statement character for the preprocessor is newline; except when it is escaped.
• End-of-statement character for the compiler is semicolon; except when it isn't.

Newline is just another whitespace character to the compiler. It has no special significance ... except to terminate "//" comments.

Semicolon has other uses by the compiler; for example, it is used to separate the clauses in a for statement.

Some compiler statements are terminated by something other than semicolon; for example, the control flow statements if...else if...else, switch, for, while. Notice the control flow statement do...while is terminated by a semicolon.

This post may be confusing, but you shouldn't find it misleading.