Chapter 6. Statements

CONTENTS

Section 6.1 Simple Statements	192
Section 6.2 Declaration Statements	193
Section 6.3 Compound Statements (Blocks)	193
Section 6.4 Statement Scope	194
Section 6.5 The if Statement	195
Section 6.6 The switch Statement	199
Section 6.7 The while Statement	204
Section 6.8 The for Loop Statement	207
Section 6.9 The do while Statement	210
Section 6.10 The break Statement	212
Section 6.11 The continue Statement	214
Section 6.12 The goto Statement	214
Section 6.13 try Blocks and Exception Handling	215
Section 6.14 Using the Preprocessor for Debugging	220
Chapter Summary	223
Defined Terms	223

Statements are analogous to sentences in a natural language. In C++ there are simple statements that execute a single task and compound statements that consist of a block of statements that execute as a unit. Like most languages, C++ provides statements for conditional execution and loops that repeatedly execute the same body of code. This chapter looks in detail at the statements supported by C++.

By default, statements are executed sequentially. Except for the simplest programs, sequential execution is inadequate. Therefore, C++ also defines a set of flow-of-control statements that allow statements to be executed conditionally or repeatedly. The if and switch statements support conditional execution. The for, while, and do while statements support repetitive execution. These latter statements are often referred to as loops or iteration statements.