C Switch Statement

Instead of writing many if..else statements, you can use the switch statement.

The switch statement selects one of many code blocks to be executed.

This is how it works:

The switch expression is evaluated once
The value of the expression is compared with the values of each case
If there is a match, the associated block of code is executed
The break statement breaks out of the switch block and stops the execution
The default statement is optional, and specifies some code to run if there is no case match

Examples

Switch Statement

c example

Selecting a day of the week.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
  int day = 4;
  
  switch (day) {
    case 1:
      printf("Monday");
      break;
    case 2:
      printf("Tuesday");
      break;
    case 3:
      printf("Wednesday");
      break;
    case 4:
      printf("Thursday");
      break;
    case 5:
      printf("Friday");
      break;
    case 6:
      printf("Saturday");
      break;
    case 7:
      printf("Sunday");
      break;
  }
    
  return 0;
}

Default Keyword

c example

Runs if no case match.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
  int day = 4;
  
  switch (day) {
    case 6:
      printf("Today is Saturday");
      break;
    case 7:
      printf("Today is Sunday");
      break;
    default:
      printf("Looking forward to the Weekend");
  }
  
  return 0;
}

CC Switch

C Switch Statement

Examples

Switch Statement

Default Keyword

Test Your Knowledge

1. Which keyword stops the execution inside a switch block?

2. The default case is mandatory in a switch statement.