Why would you use an assignment in a condition?

Solution 1:

It's more useful for loops than if statements.

while( var = GetNext() )
{
  ...do something with var 
}

Which would otherwise have to be written

var = GetNext();
while( var )
{
 ...do something
 var = GetNext();
}

Solution 2:

I find it most useful in chains of actions which often involve error detection, etc.

if ((rc = first_check(arg1, arg2)) != 0)
{
    report error based on rc
}
else if ((rc = second_check(arg2, arg3)) != 0)
{
    report error based on new rc
}
else if ((rc = third_check(arg3, arg4)) != 0)
{
    report error based on new rc
}
else
{
    do what you really wanted to do
}

The alternative (not using the assignment in the condition) is:

rc = first_check(arg1, arg2);
if (rc != 0)
{
    report error based on rc
}
else
{
    rc = second_check(arg2, arg3);
    if (rc != 0)
    {
        report error based on new rc
    }
    else
    {
        rc = third_check(arg3, arg4);
        if (rc != 0)
        {
            report error based on new rc
        }
        else
        {
            do what you really wanted to do
        }
    }
}

With protracted error checking, the alternative can run off the RHS of the page whereas the assignment-in-conditional version does not do that.

The error checks could also be 'actions' — first_action(), second_action(), third_action() — of course, rather than just checks. That is, they could be checked steps in the process that the function is managing. (Most often in the code I work with, the functions are along the lines of pre-condition checks, or memory allocations needed for the function to work, or along similar lines).