Initialization of automatic variables

You can initialize any auto variable except function parameters. If you do not explicitly initialize an automatic object, its value is indeterminate. If you provide an initial value, the expression representing the initial value can be any valid C or C++ expression. The object is then set to that initial value each time the program block that contains the object's definition is entered.

Note that if you use the goto statement to jump into the middle of a block, automatic variables within that block are not initialized.

Note: In C++0x, the keyword auto is no longer used as a storage class specifier. Instead, it is used as a type specifier. The compiler deduces the type of an auto variable from the type of its initializer expression. For more information, see The auto type specifier (C++0x).