Re: need help..

On Sat, 02 Apr 2005 17:00:06 -0500, in comp.lang.c , dot@xxxxxxx
wrote:

>On Sat, 02 Apr 2005 20:00:39 GMT, Keith Thompson <kst-u@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>>>3) Quality compilers warn about the ``if (foo = 0)'' construct.
>>>
>>> It should be a syntax error.
>>
>>In a different language, sure. In C, an assignment is an expression
>>that yields the value assigned; changing that would break too much
>>existing code.
>
>If the compiler can detect it sufficiently to warn, it can hand out an
>error, stop compilation and force you to fix it.

point is, it might be able to warn you, but its a perfectly legal
construct, and one that many people use deliberately.

>Frankly, it would have made more sense to have the testing done on a single
>=, & or | marks and use the doubles for assignment along with >> and <<
>which are used for bit shifts.

If you have a time machine, pop back thirty odd years and mention that
to the designers of BCPL and B. Otherwise, you'll need to discuss it
in the context of a new language.
--
Mark McIntyre
CLC FAQ <http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html>
CLC readme: <http://www.ungerhu.com/jxh/clc.welcome.txt>
.

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