Gotcha #19: Function/Object Ambiguity
A default object initialization should not be specified with an empty initialization list, as this is interpreted as a function declaration.
String s( "Semantics, not Syntax!" ); // explicit initializer
String t; // default initialization
String x(); // a function declaration
This is an inherent ambiguity in the C++ language. Effectively, the language standard has "tossed a coin" and decided that x is a function declaration. Note that this ambiguity does not apply to new-expressions:
String *sp1 = new String(); // no ambiguity here . . .
String *sp2 = new String; // same as this
However, the second form is preferable, because it's more common and is orthogonal with the object declaration.
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