The **"a label can only be part of a statement and a declaration is not a statement" error** occurs in C when it encounters a declaration immediately after a label. 

The C language standard only allows statements​ to follow a label. The language does not group declarations in the same category as statements. 

# Code
Consider the following code snippet that throws this error:

#include<stdio.h>

int main() {
  char * str1 = "hello";
  goto Here;
  
  Here:
  char * str2 = " world";
  printf("%s %s", str1, str2);
  return 0;
}

Note how `str2` is declared immediately after the `Here:` label on line $8$. The solution to this error​ is to add a semi-colon after the label. The compiler will translate it as a blank statement and ​not throw the error. The following code snippet implements this fix:


#include<stdio.h>

int main() {
  char * str1 = "hello";
  goto Here;
  
  Here: ; // semi-colon added after the label.
  char * str2 = " world";
  printf("%s %s", str1, str2);
  return 0;
}

The error can also occur when using [switch statements in C](https://www.educative.io/answers/how-to-use-the-switch-statement-in-c), as ​the language treats cases similar to labels. Consider the following error scenario:

#include<stdio.h>

int main() {
  char option = 'a';
  switch (option)
  {
    case 'a':
      char * str = "Case 'a' hit.";
      printf("%s", str);
      break;
  }
}

The solution is the same as before; a​ semi-colon needs to be added after the `case 'a'` statement on line $7$. Alternatively, the entire case can be enclosed in curly braces to circumvent the error. The following code snippet implements both ways of fixing this error:

#include<stdio.h>

int main() {
  char option = 'a';
  switch (option)
  {
    case 'a': ;
      char * str = "Case 'a' hit.";
      printf("%s", str);
      break;
  }
}

Semi-Colon

#include<stdio.h>

int main() {
  char option = 'a';
  switch (option)
  {
    case 'a':
    {
      char * str = "Case 'a' hit.";
      printf("%s", str);
      break;
    }
  }
}

Resolving the "a label can only be part of a statement..." error

Code