Syntax error : missing ';' before 'type'

Question

So i have this error:

Error 3 error C2143: syntax error : missing \';\' before \'type\' g:\\lel\\tommy\\tommy\\tommy.c 34 tommy

Answer 1

Are you compiling with c99 or c89?

The error appears to be because you are defining a variable within the body of the function (allowed in c99 not c89). Move double *ptr to the beginning of the function and then just assign ptr = mat->matrix; where the error now is.

Answer 2

When compiling a C program, MSVC doesn't allow declarations to follow statements in a block (it uses old C90 rules - support for declarations mixed with statements was added to C in the 1999 standard).

Move the declaration of double *ptr to the top of matrix_read():

int matrix_read(struct matrep *mat, const char *filename)
{
    FILE *fptr;
    unsigned m, n;
    double *ptr = NULL;

    // ...

    ptr = mat->matrix;  //this is where the error used to occur

    // ...
}

I really wish MS would implement this 'extension' to their C compiler.