Proper Initialization

[!NoItAll]

Looking for suggestions on style, correctness in code.

I have a theoretical function...

Friend Function Foo(byVal fooParam() as String) as Boolean
Dim Items as Integer = (fooParam.length - 1I)
Dim sFooStuff(Items) as String
For I as Integer = 0 to Items
    sFooStuff(I) = fooParam(I)
Next I
Return True

Ok - I know this code does absolutely nothing...
But - I would like to know how one should initialize the sFooStuff string array.
As the code is above I get a warning (ok - it is only a warning) that says something bad will be done to my dog because I am using a variable before it has been assigned a value.
Ok - no big deal (I'm a cat person anyway), but I don't like warnings. I prefer my code to compile with 0 warnings. Warnings mean I have to look at it and analyze it, and ponder it, and really figure out if it is a problem.
So - to get rid of this annoyance I do this:

Dim sFooStuff(Items) as String = Nothing

...which I know is simply a way to tell the Warning engine to shut the &^%$ up. It still leaves the exact same possibility; if I attempt to use the variable before anything is assigned to it, it will throw an exception. But VS now thinks I've set a value. Ha - I'm so smart.

As the code above tries to illustrate - I really don't have anything to initialize the variable with - as that comes later in the routine.

So - my question (I know you all were wondering if I would ever get here) - is how do you guys and gals initialize variables that have no New constructor (like String)? Do you live with the warnings? Is my dog doomed?

Des

[tlhintoq]

In C# I would give it an actual set of values -
If I were using real values it would look like this

string[] sFooStuff = { "dog", "cat", "Mouse", "Eagle" };

but for your case, I would initialize it to an empty set of values:

string[] sFooStuff = { } ;

Here the string array is initialized to a set of strings... but without any string. It's subtley but vitally different than setting it to null. Now the array is actually an initialized array, but with a count of zero items.

[!NoItAll]

My dog thanks you...

This definately seems more appropriate!