Variable might not have been initialized error

Question

When i try to compile this:

public static Rand searchCount (int[] x) 
{
    int a ; 
    int b ; 

    ...   

    for (int l= 0; l

        

Answer 1

Local variables do not get default values. Their initial values are undefined with out assigning values by some means. Before you can use local variables they must be initialized.

There is a big difference when you declare a variable at class level (as a member ie. as a field) and at method level.

If you declare a field at class level they get default values according to their type. If you declare a variable at method level or as a block (means anycode inside {}) do not get any values and remain undefined until somehow they get some starting values ie some values assigned to them.