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C# for Programmers: A Practical Guide

Switch Statements

Explore switch statements in C# to learn how to execute different code paths based on multiple expression values. Understand how to implement case sections, the role of jump statements like break, and how to use default cases for unmatched conditions. This lesson builds on conditional logic fundamentals to help you write clearer, more organized code.

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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:

C++
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.

C#
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#.