Question

In Delphi, consider

var
  i: integer;

begin

  for i := 0 to N do
  begin
    { Code }
  end;

One might think that i = N after the for loop, but does the Delphi compiler guarantee this? Can one make the assumption that the loop variable is equal to its last value inside the loop, after a Delphi if loop?

Update

After trying a few simple loops, I suspect that i is actually equal to one plus the last value of i inside the loop after the loop… But can you rely on this?

Answer 1

No, Delphi does not guarantee any value. Outside the loop, the variable is undefined – and IIRC the Language Guide excplicitly state so – that means that newer compiler implementations are free to change whatever value the variable may have outside the loop due to the actual implementation.