INFO: Misspelling "Default" Gives No Error

ID: Q40593

The information in this article applies to:

The 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, 16-bit edition, versions 1.0, 1.5, 1.51, 1.52
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Editions, versions 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0

It has been reported that when the keyword "default" is misspelled, the C/C++ compiler does not generate an error and the executable code does not execute the "defualt" branch in any case.

This is not a problem with the C/C++ compiler. In C and C++ any name followed by a colon (:) is a label. In a switch statement the case and default keywords are special types of label which are used by the switch statement. When the keyword "default" is spelled incorrectly, it is treated as a label. You could use a goto statement to reference the label. The switch statement, however, does not recognize it. Since a "default:" label is not required by the switch statement, no error is (or can be) generated.

NOTE: It is not good programming practice to jump to a label that is within a switch statement from outside the switch statement.

Additional query words: 8.00 9.00 9.10

Keywords : kbCompiler kbVC100 kbVC151 kbVC200 kbVC210 kbVC400 kbVC500 kbVC600
Version : MS- DOS:6.0,6.00a,6.00ax,7.0;OS/2:6.0,6.00a;WIN3X:1.0,1.5,1.51;WINNT:1.0,2.0,2. 1,4.0,5.0;
Platform : MS-DOS NT OS/2 WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo