Curley braces

[samtheman]

Hello:

Would you please give me your best examples of what the {Curley braces} are use for? and when to use them and not to use them.
I am trying to get a GOOD understanding about them.
It do not need to be a (long example) just your example.

Thanks,

[jonnin]

{ means begin a block of code; some languages actually use things like keywords begin and end.

if(somthing == true)
dostuff();
otherstuff(); // this is NOT IN THE IF STATEMENT, IT ALWAYS HAPPENS

if(somthing == true)
{
dostuff();
otherstuff(); // this is also inside the if statement block.
}

most of the time, code blocks define blocks of code like this; the begin and end of a function, the begin and end of a user defined type, the begin and end of a conditional or loop or similar block, etc.

On occasion, someone will use them just to scope variables.

int x;
x = 3;
code
{
int x; //this isnt the same x as above.
x = 5; //different x!
}
//x is 3 here. the other x was destroyed when its block went away.

this is a terrible example; there are legitimate times to scope a variable this way to ensure a destructor is called or to otherwise explicitly control something, but I am not thinking of a useful example of that right now. Youll know it when you see it.

{} are also heavily used to initialize variables, either user defined types or built in containers etc.
type something {value, value, value}; //crude syntax example.

[Ganado]

Curly braces have to be used with class, enum, and function definition blocks.

In addition to executing multiple things within a block, and scope behavior (a variable declared in a scope only exists in that scope):

This might be a bit advanced, but curly-brace initialization syntax also prevents the "Most vexing parse" syntax ambiguity resolution in C++.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_vexing_parse

from the wiki page:

TimeKeeper time_keeper(Timer());
vs.
TimeKeeper time_keeper{Timer{}};