Example 1:

if (DoAction())
{
    bResult = true;
}

Example 2:

// Count number of elements in array.
for (unsigned nIndex = 0;
     anArray[nIndex] != 0;
     nIndex++)
{
}

There are three exceptions to this rule:

• an "else" statement may directly followed by another "if"
• statements following a case label do not have to be enclosed in a block, unless they define a variable.
• An if clause, followed by a single statement, does not have to enclose that single statement in a block, provided that the entire statement is written on a single line. Of course the exception is intended for those cases where it improves readability. Please note that the entire statement must be a one-liner (of reasonable length), so it is not applicable to complex conditions. Also note that the exception is only made for if (without else), not for while etc. Examples:

  if (getToken() == ASSIGN) v = expr(true);
  if (failure) throw VerySorry(errno);
  

  Rationale for the exception: code readability can be improved because the one-liner saves vertical space (by a factor of 4). The lurking danger in later maintenance, where someone might add a statement intending it to be subject to the condition, is absent in the one-liner.