Switch Statements

This lesson discusses switch statements in C# using an example

We'll cover the following

Switch Case

Typically this is required when based on different values of a particular expression, different actions need to be performed. The basic construct of a switch case looks as follows:

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switch (expression)
{
  case constant-expression:
     statement
     jump-statement
  default:
     statement
     jump-statement
}

  • In code block above the expression can have multiple values. Essentially:

    • string
    • integer

  • case section with constant-expression can have the value as

    • constant
    • expression that results in a constant

  • This decides to which case statement control will transfer

  • The default section is optional and only gets executed when none of the constant-expression matches with the expression

  • The jump-statement must be there at the end of each block to step out of the switch case once a particular statement section gets executed.

Note: There are a number of branching statements or jump-statements available in C# such as break, continue, goto, return and throw.

Example

Let’s take a look at an example of switch cases to better understand the concept.

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using System;
class SwitchExample
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        int input=2; //change value of this input to see output for different cases 
      
        // switch with integer type
        switch (input)
        {
            case 1:
                Console.WriteLine("Your input for case 1 is: {0}", input);
                break;
            case 2:
                Console.WriteLine("Your input for case 2 is: {0}", input);
                break;
            default:
                Console.WriteLine("Your input in default case is: {0}" , input);
                break;
        }
    }
}

Code Explanation

In the code above:

  • First the value of variable input is set equal to 2.

  • Then the switch function is called with input passed to it as the parameter.

  • As the value of input is 2, case 2 is executed displaying: Your input for case 2 is: 2 in console.

You can change the value of input in the code above to execute various switch cases.

  • If the value of input is changed to 1 then switch case 1 will execute.

  • If the value of input is changed to a number other than 1 or 2 then the default case will execute.

This marks the end of our discussion on switch statements. In the next lesson, we will discuss ternary operators in C#.