Old-style method??

[Lcat8]

Hey all, this is my first time posting but I've lurked here for quite awhile!

Right now I am attempting to make a text based game and I am looking at the source code from a similar, open-sourced project(NetHack). I recently found some code that confused me:

int
def_char_to_objclass(ch)
    char ch;
{
    int i;
    for (i = 1; i < MAXOCLASSES; i++)
	if (ch == def_oc_syms[i]) break;
    return i;
}

What exactly is that char ch; on line 3 supposed to be doing and why is it outside of the method body? Is this a way of coding methods from the old days of C? Thanks for any help.

[filipe]

Yes, it is the (quite) old style for declaring functions. That char ch; line is telling the compiler that ch is a char. Don't use it. I think it's been deprecated as of C99.

[Lcat8]

Thanks for the speedy reply!

[sohguanh]

Don't use in your new C/C++ program but you must know the syntax cuz you never know you are tasked by your employers to do maintenance for legacy C program. Some organizations use program for many many years and still did not de-commission them :P