It's a C-style language syntax option. If it's only a single line in after the if, the braces are optional. I've also seen it in C++ and PHP.
Whether or not it's sloppy is up for debate and just a matter of personal preference.
Whether or not it's sloppy is up for debate and just a matter of personal preference.
Not _line_, _statement_. Consider
if(flag)
foo(); bar();
if(flag)
foo =
bar +
baz;
Warning: I haven't tested this, and am beginning to doubt a bit. It must be correct, but why, then, don't I remember seeing this in underhanded C contests? Combining that with macros allows you to hide the semicolon.
I personally like being able to do it since it allows me to do away with the 2 extra lines auto indent puts in if i add brackets. That's a 50% reduction for a 4 line if. Maybe I should just buy a bigger monitor.
https://github.com/owen2/little-braces
Also, it is available from the online add-in manager if you search for "little braces." The VS2013 community edition is just in time :)
I couple it with the indent guideline plugin for best effect (braces are super small, light lines to track indent level, 2 space indent...).