Dangling Else

if (guess != secretNumber) if (guess < secretNumber) System.out.println("Too small!"); else // guess > secretNumber System.out.println("Too large!");

To which conditional statement does the else branch belong?

Answer: If it can be associated with multiple if statements, the innermost one is taken.

Block statements (i.e. { ... }) can be used to override this.

The coding standard avoids this problem by requiring block statements for the branch that is executed if the condition evaluates to true.

	To which conditional statement does the else branch belong?
	Answer: If it can be associated with multiple if statements, the innermost one is taken.
	Block statements (i.e. `{ ... }`) can be used to override this.
	The coding standard avoids this problem by requiring block statements for the branch that is executed if the condition evaluates to true.