PRB: Executable Code Between Declarations Causes C2143 or C214

• The Microsoft C/C++ Compiler (CL.EXE) included with: - Microsoft C for MS-DOS, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0ax - Microsoft C for OS/2, versions 6.0, 6.0a - Microsoft C/C++ for MS-DOS, version 7.0 - Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.5, 1.51 - Microsoft Visual C++ 32-bit Edition, versions 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 4.0, 5.0

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;
      }
   }

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;
   }

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

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