uninitialized local variable question

what am i missing here?

Code:

---

include <iostream>
#include "empinfo.h"
using namespace std;


void getempdata(struct empinfo emp1[], int &count1, int MAX)
{
char ans,ret;

        count1 =0;
       
        while (((ans=='Y')||(ans =='y'))&&(count1<MAX))
        {
                cout << "Input last name:";
                cin.getline (emp1[count1].name,21);
                cout << "Input first name:";
                cin.getline (emp1[count1].name1,21);
                cout << "input hours:";
                cin >> emp1[count1].hours;
                cout << "Input payrate:";
                cin >> emp1[count1].payrate;
                count1++;
                cout << "Input another - Y or N:";
                cin >> ans;
                cin.get(ret);
        }
       
        return;
}

---

here is my error
1>c:\documents and settings\pat\desktop\fifteena\getdata15.cpp\getdat a15.cpp\empinfo.cpp(13) : warning C4700: uninitialized local variable 'ans' used

> while (((ans=='Y')||(ans =='y'))
Here you test a value

> cin >> ans;
Sometime later, you give it a value

> char ans,ret;
Here you declared it, but gave it no initial value to compare against.

It means that unless you do something to initialise it, the code will randomly fail to run at all.

Coming into your loop, the variable ans is uninitialised. Technically, the comparison '((ans == 'Y')||(ans == 'y')) therefore yields undefined behaviour first time through. In practice, that comparison will probably yield false (odds are the value coming in is neither 'Y' nor 'y'), so your function will have no effect. Some good quality compiler will probably complain (issue a warning) about ans being uninitialised, but not all compilers will.

Alternatively, you can change to use a do while loop.

tahnks for the help, again:)