```
NSDictionary *attributes = nil ;
*attributes = [filemanager attributesOfItemAtPath:path error:nil] ;

```

fails with " ... error: incompatible types in assignment"

yet

```
NSDictionary *attributes = [filemanager attributesOfItemAtPath:path error:nil] ;

```

works.

My question is how to break the one line of code that works into two lines of code that works.