Switch statement
Switch statements function somewhat similarly to the if statement we used before, as it allows us to execute one code block among many alternatives. In some cases, using a switch statement has the advantage of being much easier to read and write compared to a long if-else ladder.
The switch statement is based on a variable that is tested for equality against a list of values, each one called a "case" of that variable.
Syntax​
It's more complicated to explain than to see, so here's the generic syntax:
switch (variable) {
case value1:
// code block
break;
case value2:
// code block
break;
case value3:
// code block
break;
// more cases...
// optional
default:
// code block
}
The value of variable
is compared with every possible value of each case and there's a match the associated block of code is executed. break
is used to interrupt the execution and if no match is found break
is never executed, therefore the default
case (optional) will compile instead. In the default
case break
isn't needed.
A practical example:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
int day;
cout << "Insert a day of the week (from 1 to 7):" << endl;
cin >> day;
// switch statement
switch (day) {
case 1:
cout << "Monday" << endl;
break;
case 2:
cout << "Tuesday" << endl;
break;
case 3:
cout << "Wednesday" << endl;
break;
case 4:
cout << "Thursday" << endl;
break;
case 5:
cout << "Friday" << endl;
break;
case 6:
cout << "Saturday" << endl;
break;
case 7:
cout << "Sunday" << endl;
break;
default:
cout << "Input not valid" << endl;
}
return 0;
}