Switch-case: a powerful tool for decision-making
What is switch-case?
Switch-case is a programming construct that allows the programmer to compare the value of a variable to a list of predefined values. It is commonly used in programming languages like C, C++, Java, JavaScript, and others. The switch statement evaluates an expression and then compares it to multiple values, executing the corresponding block of code for the first matching value. This makes switch-case a powerful tool for decision-making in programming.
How does switch-case work?
The switch statement starts with the keyword «switch» followed by an expression in parentheses. This expression is evaluated, and then the program checks each «case» statement to see if it matches the evaluated expression. If a match is found, the corresponding block of code is executed. If no match is found, an optional «default» case can be used to specify a block of code to execute if none of the case values match.
Benefits of using switch-case
Switch-case is a versatile tool that offers several benefits for decision-making in programming. One of the main advantages is that it can make the code more readable and easier to understand, especially when dealing with multiple conditions. Switch-case can also be more efficient than using multiple if-else statements, as it only evaluates the expression once and then jumps directly to the matching case.
Examples of switch-case in action
Here is an example of switch-case in JavaScript:
«`javascript
let day = 3;
let dayName;
switch (day) {
case 1:
dayName = «Monday»;
break;
case 2:
dayName = «Tuesday»;
break;
case 3:
dayName = «Wednesday»;
break;
default:
dayName = «Invalid day»;
}
console.log(dayName); // Output: Wednesday
«`
In this example, the variable «day» is compared to different values using the switch-case statement, and the corresponding day name is assigned to the variable «dayName». If the value of «day» does not match any of the case values, the default case is executed, assigning «Invalid day» to «dayName».
