Switch statement

In computer programming languages, a switch statement is a type of selection control mechanism used to allow the value of a variable or expression to change the control flow of program execution via search and map.

Switch statements function somewhat similarly to the if statement used in programming languages like C/C++, C#, Visual Basic .NET, Java and exist in most high-level imperative programming languages such as Pascal, Ada, C/C++, C#,[1]: 374–375  Visual Basic .NET, Java,[2]: 157–167  and in many other types of language, using such keywords as switch, case, select or inspect.

Switch statements come in two main variants: a structured switch, as in Pascal, which takes exactly one branch, and an unstructured switch, as in C, which functions as a type of goto. The main reasons for using a switch include improving clarity, by reducing otherwise repetitive coding, and (if the heuristics permit) also offering the potential for faster execution through easier compiler optimization in many cases.

An example of a Switch statement in C 
switch (age) {
  case 1:  printf("You're one.");            break;
  case 2:  printf("You're two.");            break;
  case 3:  printf("You're three.");
  case 4:  printf("You're three or four.");  break;
  default: printf("You're not 1, 2, 3 or 4!");
}
  1. ^ Skeet, Jon (23 March 2019). C# in Depth. Manning. ISBN 978-1617294532.
  2. ^ Bloch, Joshua (2018). "Effective Java: Programming Language Guide" (third ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 978-0134685991.