> Does one prefer an initialization of null at the top of the function Several developers got used to such a programming approach. > or an initialization to a meaningful value in the middle of the function ? Coding style preferences are evolving more with the growing support for the discussed scope-based resource management (cleanup functions and guards), aren't they? Further developers can handle variable definitions at the beginning of a compound statement (a code block) at least. Corresponding clarifications will influence the change acceptance for such definitions without adding extra curly brackets. Would you like to consider design possibilities with scope reductions? Regards, Markus
