Why does Try-Catch require curly braces

Question

Just curious: Why is the syntax for try catch in C# (Java also?) hard coded for multiple statements? Why doesn\'t the language allow:

int i;
string s = DateT         


        

Answer 1

If you assume that the designers of C# simply choose to use the same syntax as C++ then the question becomes why are braces necessary with single statements try and catch blocks in C++. The simple answer is that Bjarne Stroustrup thought the syntax was easier to explain.

In The Design and Evolution of C++ Stroustrup writes:

"The try keyword is completely redundant and so are the { } braces except where multiple statements are actually used in a try-block or a handler."

He goes on to give an example where the try keyword and { } are not needed. He then writes:

"However, I found this so difficult to explain that the redundancy was introduced to save support staff from confused users."

Reference: Stroustrup, Bjarne (1994). The Design and Evolution of C++. Addison-Wesley.