Q58559: PRB: Executable Code Between Declarations Causes C2143 or C214

Article: Q58559
Product(s): Microsoft C Compiler
Version(s): 1.0,1.5,1.51,2.0,4.0,5.0,6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbCompiler kbVC100 kbVC150 kbVC151 kbVC152fix kbVC210 kbVC400 kbVC500 kbVC600
Last Modified: 14-NOV-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft C for MS-DOS 
- Microsoft C for OS/2 
- Microsoft C/C++ for MS-DOS 
- Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows, 16-bit edition, versions 1.0, 1.5, 1.51 
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Editions, versions 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

In Microsoft C, compiler errors C2143 and C2144 are defined as follows:

  C2143: syntax error : missing 'token1' before 'token2'

  C2144: syntax error : missing 'token' before type 'type'

CAUSE
=====

You may receive this error message if your program places executable code before
a data declaration, an acceptable practice in Kernighan-and-Ritchie C. This
practice has been outlawed in later versions of the ANSI drafts.

This error message will normally occur if a required closing curly brace (}),
right parenthesis [)], or semicolon (;) is missing.

RESOLUTION
==========

Placing all data declarations before all executable code corrects the
programming error.

  void main( )
  {
     int i;
     printf( "Hello world!\n" );
     {
        int j;
     }
  }

NOTE: In the C++ language, it is legal to declare data within a block of
executable code.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The following code demonstrates this error message:

Sample Code
-----------

  /* Compile options needed: none
  */ 

  #include <stdio.h>

  void main(void)
  {
     int i;
     printf("Hello World\n");
     int j;
  }

Compiling this code with a version of Microsoft C prior to C/C++ 7.0 will return
the following error message:

  C2144: syntax error : missing ';' before type 'int'

C/C++ version 7.0 and Visual C/C++ issue the following error:

  C2143: syntax error : missing ';' before 'type'

Additional query words: 8.00 8.00c 9.00 9.10

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Keywords          : kbCompiler kbVC100 kbVC150 kbVC151 kbVC152fix kbVC210 kbVC400 kbVC500 kbVC600 
Technology        : kbVCsearch kbVC400 kbAudDeveloper kbZNotKeyword8 kbvc150 kbvc100 kbCCompSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbVC500 kbVC600 kbVC151 kbVC200 kbVC32bitSearch kbVC16bitSearch kbVC500Search
Version           : :1.0,1.5,1.51,2.0,4.0,5.0,6.0
Issue type        : kbprb

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