Why is this an issue?
Empty statements represented by a semicolon ; are statements that do not perform any operation. They are often the result of a typo or
a misunderstanding of the language syntax. It is a good practice to remove empty statements since they don’t add value and lead to confusion and
errors.
Code examples
Noncompliant code example
void doSomething() {
; // Noncompliant - was used as a kind of TODO marker
}
void doSomethingElse() {
System.out.println("Hello, world!");; // Noncompliant - double ;
// ...
}
Compliant solution
void doSomething() {}
void doSomethingElse() {
System.out.println("Hello, world!");
// ...
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) ; // Compliant if unique statement of a loop
// ...
}
Resources
Documentation
- CERT, MSC12-C. - Detect and remove code that has no effect or is never executed
- CERT, MSC51-J. - Do not place a semicolon immediately following an if, for, or while
condition
- CERT, EXP15-C. - Do not place a semicolon on the same line as an if, for, or while
statement
