8.5.3 When Not to Use the Comma Operator

You can use a comma in any subexpression, but in most cases it only makes the code confusing, and it is clearer to raise all but the last of the comma-separated expressions to a higher level. Thus, instead of this:

x = (y += 4, 8);

it is much clearer to write this:

y += 4, x = 8;

or this:

y += 4;
x = 8;

Use commas only in the cases where there is no clearer alternative involving multiple statements.

By contrast, don’t hesitate to use commas in the expansion in a macro definition. The trade-offs of code clarity are different in that case, because the use of the macro may improve overall clarity so much that the ugliness of the macro’s definition is a small price to pay. See Macros.