How To Clear Technical Java Interview In an Hour

8. Why should you always use blocks around if statement?

Using block braces {} around the code inside an if statement is a good practice for several reasons:

1. Avoiding Unintended Scope: Blocks clearly define the scope of the if statement's logic, preventing variables from leaking out into a wider scope by mistake. Without blocks, any variable declared within would be visible throughout the block's containing structure (like a function or loop).

2. Clarity and Readability: Blockshelp to organize your code and make it more readable. It's immediately clear that the code inside the braces is part of the if condition, which enhances maintainability.

3. Potentially Avoiding Bug: Without blocks, a single line of code after an if could inadvertently execute regardless of the condition, leading to logic errors that can be difficult to debug.

4. Complex Conditions: As your code grows more complex and conditions are nested, using blocks becomes essential to ensure each case is handled properly.

Here's an example to illustrate:

if (condition) {
    int x = 5; // Clearly scoped to this block only
    // Some code that uses x
}
// If there were no block here, the next line would be able to access 'x', which is not intended.
System.out.println(x); // This will throw a java.lang.Error:(x) cannot be resolved

This simple example shows why using blocks around if statements is a good practice. In real-world applications, the consequences of such errors can be more severe if they affect application logic or data integrity.