Switch Statement
The switch statement in C# is a control flow statement that allows you to execute a block of code based on the value of a variable. It is similar to a series of if-else statements but provides a more readable and organized way to handle multiple conditions.
Structure of a switch Statement
The basic structure of a switch statement includes:
- The switch keyword followed by an expression in parentheses.
- A series of case labels, each representing a specific value that the expression can take.
- A default case, which is optional and executes if none of the case values match the expression.
Example
using System;
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
int dayOfWeek = 5;
switch (dayOfWeek)
{
case 1:
Console.WriteLine("Monday");
break;
case 2:
Console.WriteLine("Tuesday");
break;
case 3:
Console.WriteLine("Wednesday");
break;
case 4:
Console.WriteLine("Thursday");
break;
case 5:
Console.WriteLine("Friday");
break;
case 6:
Console.WriteLine("Saturday");
break;
case 7:
Console.WriteLine("Sunday");
break;
default:
Console.WriteLine("Invalid day of the week");
break;
}
}
}
Explanation of the Example
- The variable dayOfWeek is initialized to the value 5.
- The switch statement evaluates the value of dayOfWeek.
- It matches the value with the appropriate case label.
- When dayOfWeek is 5, the corresponding block of code for case 5 is executed, printing “Friday” to the console.
- The break statement is used to terminate the switch block and prevent the execution from falling through to subsequent cases.
- The default case provides a fallback option if none of the case labels match the value of dayOfWeek. In this case, it prints “Invalid day of the week.“
Advantages of Using switch
Readability: switch statements are more readable and organized than multiple if-else statements, especially when dealing with multiple conditions.
Performance: In some cases, switch statements can be more efficient than if-else chains, as the compiler may optimize them better.
Limitations in switch statement
- Switch statements can only evaluate discrete values (such as integers, characters, and strings) and cannot handle ranges or complex conditions.
- Every case should end with a break, return, or goto statement to prevent fall-through, except when intentionally leveraging fall-through logic.