A Complete Guide to Switch Case in Java

Have you ever felt like creating an if-else ladder in a Java program for multiple blocks of code is tiresome? It can be messy and reduce the readability of the program. It makes you wonder if there was an alternative conditional statement in Java that allows you to declare multiple conditions and execute them more efficiently. This is where Switch Case in Java  come into play.  

Java is a popular programming language frequently used by various developers. According to Statista, Java is one of the most widely used programming languages globally, with 33.27% of programmers using it. Thus, you see, Java offers numerous characteristics that make it the most used programing language.

If you’re starting your programming journey with Java and want to learn more about Switch Case in Java , this blog might be for you. The Java Switch statement is a branch statement that provides a way to execute your code in different cases based on the value of the expression. Read ahead to learn more!

Table of Contents 

1) What is Switch Case in Java 

2) Syntax for Java Switch Statement 

   a) Switch 

   b) Case 

   c) Break 

   d) Default   

3) Examples of Java Switch Case programs 

4) Conclusions 

What is Switch Case in Java?
 

If you have programmed using Java in the past, you might be familiar with “if” and “else” conditional statements. Switch Case is a similar conditional statement that allows you to group multiple blocks of codes as alternatives for execution.   

Switch Case in Java can simplify a process that would otherwise become much more complex with if-else statements. Additionally, when you have multiple conditions to test in a Java program, a Switch Case statement can be faster than an if-else ladder.

This statement simplifies the conditional statement when you need to provide multiple execution paths for different blocks of codes. It achieves the same results as an if-else ladder with less complexity and fewer lines of code, making your program more efficient. Switch Cases are commonly used in place of if-else when you want to use a single object. 
 

Syntax for Java Switch Statement 

The switch case statement works similarly to an if-else conditional statement and has a structure resembling an if-else ladder. It can be used in a Java program with specific keywords. Each of these keywords plays a vital role in the program. Let's understand the keywords and syntax necessary to implement a switch case statement in a Java program. 

Switch 

Switch Case conditional statements in Java are invoked with the keyword ‘switch’. The syntax to declare a switch case is “switch ()”, which is used at the beginning of a conditional statement. The switch syntax is used for a set of conditions that need to be evaluated. The value to be evaluated is placed within the parentheses after the switch keyword.  

For example, if you are using a variable named "Month" to hold a value, you need to specify that value within the parentheses of the switch() expression for the case values to be compared with it. 

Case 

The term ‘case’ refers to a particular condition that is met by input in a Java program. A case block is declared using the “case” syntax followed by a value, which ends with “:”. Examples of case syntax usage would be “case 1:”, “case 2:”, “case 3:” etc. It is important to remember that the case value must be of a switch expression type.  

A switch-type expression has certain rules while being declared in Java. It can only be a literal or a constant value. This means you cannot use variables as switch case values. Additionally, a switch case value must have a certain data type. Some data types that switch expression supports are int, byte, short, long, and string.   

You can even use operators with different literals as case values. Just remember that the data type used to declare a case value needs to be the same across all cases in Java program. When an input value matches the case value, any block of code placed under that particular case is executed. Furthermore, multiple cases can be created in a Switch Case declaration, however, the cases do not need to be in ascending or descending order. 

Break  

The ‘break’ keyword is used at the end of a block of code declared under a case. The syntax for the break keyword is “break;”. It signifies that the scope of this block of code has ended in a Java program, and it doesn't need to continue to the next case. This is not mandatory in a switch case declaration as break statements can be omitted on purpose to shorten code, making it more efficient. 

Default 

The ‘default’ keyword is used to declare a block of code in situations where the tallied value doesn’t match any of the case values in Java program. The syntax to declare it is “default:”, followed by a block of code you want to execute if none of the cases are matched. The ‘default’ statement allows your program to specify what should happen when none of the case values match the input.  

A default case is not mandatory in a program. If you do not declare a default statement and none of the case values match the input, nothing will happen. This occurs because none of the provided blocks of code get an opportunity to execute. 

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Examples of Java Switch Case programs 

Here you will find certain examples and uses of the Switch statements in Java programs. In these examples, we have used a Switch Case Java program to determine the day of the week. The Java program declares a string as an object to match it with case values. Each case statement has a corresponding print statement that declares the name of the day. Let’s have a detailed look at these examples:
 

You can use the same principle to declare a switch case that can determine a month. In this example, we have twelve case values, each representing a month with a corresponding code block. This Java program is similar to the previous example used to declare the day of the week. The program also includes a default statement for situations where the input has a value exceeding twelve, as a year only has twelve months. 
 

You can also use a switch case and include if-else conditions within each block of code in a case. This will allow you to match a range of values. In this Java program, if-else conditions are used within the case blocks to determine the zodiac sign based on the date of birth. 
 

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Conclusions 

Java Switch Cases allow you to write efficient and readable programs that can choose the execution of a block from multiple different blocks of codes. We hope this blog has helped you understand the Switch Case in Java , its syntax, and how to use them in Java programs. 

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