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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    34

    [RESOLVED] Strangley placed else

    In this code snippet what does the line (line 20) that reads

    Code:
    else ;
    cause to the flow of the program, if anything? If it does nothing why would someone have it there?

    Code:
    	mode = -1;
    
    	while ( /* read a line from a file */ )
    	{
    		if (mode<0)
    		{
    			// Do something for when mode < 0
    		}
    		else if (mode==0)
    		{
    			if ( /* some condition */ )
    			{
    				mode=1;
    				continue;
    			}
    			else if ( /* some other condition */ )
    			{
    				// Code for some other condition
    			}
    			else ;  <<-- What does this do?
    		}
    		else // mode is 1
    		{
    			// A lot of code for mode 1
    		} // end mode=1 code
    	}
    
    	// Code after the while loop
    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    1,689

    Re: Strangley placed else

    It does nothing. Most likely there to remind the programmer that there is other cases besides the two specified.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    34

    Re: Strangley placed else

    Thanks very much.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Sweden
    Posts
    3,654

    Re: [RESOLVED] Strangley placed else

    Some coding rules (Misra for instance) requires that all if-statements are complete i.e. there should always be an else even when it's not needed.
    Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place.
    Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by
    definition, not smart enough to debug it.
    - Brian W. Kernighan

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