Curly Brackets Are they needed?

Projects Programming
1

I read the arduino help files on Curly Brackets but It is still un clear to me what they are for.
Seems you can use them to group things together but does not seem to be required.
What is the real use is the curly brackets?

Any help for a new programmer

Ron

2

Leave it out and see what happens :slight_smile:

3

They specify the start and end of A loop. For example the for() loop:

for(int ii = 0; ii < 10; ii++)
{
doStuff();
doSomeOtherStuff();
doTheEndStuff();
}

If there is only 1 function, you can leave the brackets out., for example:

for(int ii = 0; ii < 10; ii++)
  doStuff();

or

for(int ii = 0; ii < 10; ii++) doStuff();

But only the first function or execution will be done! So if you don't use the brackets and use multiple functions/executions, you have a problem:

for(int ii = 0; ii < 10; ii++)
doStuff(); //This will run 10 times...
doSomeOtherStuff(); //This will run only once...
4

They are also used to define scope. For example:

int test1 = 10;

{
	int test2 = 100;
	test1 = test2 + 50;	// Can access test1 here, it is in scope.
}

// cannot access test2 here, it is out of scope. test1 is equal to 150 here ...
5

Piolt34:
I read the arduino help files on Curly Brackets but It is still un clear to me what they are for.
Seems you can use them to group things together but does not seem to be required.
What is the real use is the curly brackets?

Curly brackets define a "code block".

For example:
If you create a for-loop, then only the NEXT COMMAND will be executed. Or the NEXT CODEBLOCK included in curly brackets.

Same with an if-condition: After an if-condition only the NEXT COMMAND will be executed. Or the NEXT CODEBLOCK included in curly brackets.

So curly brackets are putting together what belongs together.

Besides of that they define the beginning and ending of a function, which is the code which belongs to a function.