In the example below, the compiler generates an error "Use of unassigned local variable r
", even though I assign the variable in loop before using it. Why does the compiler generate this error?
static void Main(string[] args)
{
float r;
for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++)
r = i; // assigned here
Console.WriteLine(r); // error: use of unassigned local variable
}
The compiler will generate that error whenever it detects the possibility of an unassigned variable. Since the body of for
loops are not guaranteed to execute (e.g. for(int i = 123; i < 0; i++)
) the variable is not considered unconditionally assigned, and thus the compiler error is generated.
From the documentation:
The C# compiler does not allow the use of uninitialized variables. If the compiler detects the use of a variable that might not have been initialized, it generates compiler error CS0165. For more information, see Fields (C# Programming Guide). Note that this error is generated when the compiler encounters a construct that might result in the use of an unassigned variable, even if your particular code does not. This avoids the necessity of overly-complex rules for definite assignment.