warning C4702: unreachable code

Why would VC++ tell me "warning C4702: unreachable code" for code that is reachable?
Does it search through the entire program to see every possible way that the function can be called and then determine that it's impossible to reach, or does it just search through each function separately?

I'm getting that warning on a lot of catch (...) blocks like:

Code:

---

catch (...)
{
  return 0;  // warning C4702: unreachable code
}

---

Unless it looks through every function called in the try block to see if any of them throw exceptions, how can it possibly determine that the return is unreachable?
And why would it only start complaining about that now, when I already compiled those same functions in the same files cleanly in different projects?
I swear my compiler must be on drugs or something. :p

Can't tell from that snippet...

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...0e(VS.80).aspx

Do you have code in the try block that can throw?

gg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by medievalelks

Can't tell from that snippet...

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Well I can't paste my company's actualy source code, but in general, any time you call functions in a try block, how can you possibly say that catch (...) is unreachable? The functions don't use exception specifiers either, not that they really guarentee much anyways.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Codeplug

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...0e(VS.80).aspx

Do you have code in the try block that can throw?

gg

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Hmm... That might be it. I'll have to check to see if all the functions are extern "C" functions.

Well, VC++ does do cross-function, even cross-module optimization, and the unreachable code warning typically piggy-backs on the optimizer's flow analysis. So yeah, the compiler may well be capable of deciding that your code is unreachable.

Why do you have catch-alls all over the place anyway. Looks like misdesign to me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CornedBee

Why do you have catch-alls all over the place anyway. Looks like misdesign to me.

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I didn't write this junk. I just have to fix it. :(

I also see a lot of try blocks around C functions, which I'm guessing is to catch exceptions from de-referencing NULL pointers.
VC++ 2005 doesn't catch something like:

Code:

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strcpy( NULL, "Hello world" );

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but VC++ 6.0 does catch it in the catch (...) block.
The funny thing is, in VC++ 6.0 it gives you a C4702 in the catch (...) block, even though it does actually catch it on that broken compiler. :D

You just gotta love that undefined behavior. ;)

I believe the behavior would be defined by which "/EH" compiler option used.

gg