Java Reference
In-Depth Information
For versions of Java prior to JDK 7, the
expression
controlling the
switch
must be of
type
byte
,
short
,
int
,
char
, or an enumeration. (Enumerations are described in
Chapter
versions of Java can use a string to control a
switch
. (This technique is demonstrated in
simply a variable rather than a larger expression.
Each value specified in the
case
statements must be a unique constant expression (such
as a literal value). Duplicate
case
values are not allowed. The type of each value must be
compatible with the type of
expression
.
The
default
statement sequence is executed if no
case
constant matches the expression.
The
default
is optional; if it is not present, no action takes place if all matches fail. When
a match is found, the statements associated with that
case
are executed until the
break
is
encountered or, in the case of
default
or the last
case
, until the end of the
switch
is reached.
The following program demonstrates the
switch
: