C# switch case Statements with Examples

How to Use switch case Statements in C#

This tutorial describes how to use switch case statements in C#.

The switch statement chooses one of the blocks of code, which matches the switch expression to execute.

We often use the switch-case statements when we test a single expression against three or more conditions. You can use if-else if there are only a few conditions.

C# if-else Statements with Examples

Related C# tutorial:

C# if-else statements

The switch case Statements Syntax

The syntax of the switch and case statements is as follows:

switch(expression)
{
    case a:
        //block of code
        break;
    case b:
        //block of code
        break;
    case c:
        //block of code
        break;
        .........
 
     default:
        //block of code
         break;
}

Remarks

The expression can be a value of char, bool, enum, string, or an integral value, such as a long or an int.
By using the break keyword, C# breaks out of the switch statement when there is a match and stops the execution from reaching the next switch. Only one switch section in a switch statement executes.
The block of code inside the default section executes if the expression doesn't match any other case. The default section is optional.

Examples

Example 1

You can use the switch statement, as the following example shows:

using System;
 
namespace SwitchCaseExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            int number = 2;
            switch (number)
            {
                case 1:
                    Console.WriteLine("A");
                    break;
                case 2:
                    Console.WriteLine("B");
                    break;
                case 3:
                    Console.WriteLine("C");
                    break;
                case 4:
                    Console.WriteLine("D");
                    break;
                default:
                    Console.WriteLine("E");
                    break;
            }
        }
 
    }
}

Output:

The program outputs "B" because the expression matches case 2.

Example 2

The following illustrates an example of the execution of a block of code inside the default section:

using System;
 
namespace SwitchCaseExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            int number = 10;
            switch (number)
            {
                case 1:
                    Console.WriteLine("A");
                    break;
                case 2:
                    Console.WriteLine("B");
                    break;
                case 3:
                    Console.WriteLine("C");
                    break;
                case 4:
                    Console.WriteLine("D");
                    break;
                default:
                    Console.WriteLine("E");
                    break;
            }
        }
    }
}

Output:

The code block inside the default section executes because the expression doesn't match any other case.

Example 3

The following example shows how to use the enum type in the switch statement:

using System;
 
namespace SwitchCaseExample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            DayOfWeek dayOfWeek = DayOfWeek.FRIDAY;
            PrintDayOfTheWeek(dayOfWeek);
        }
        static void PrintDayOfTheWeek(DayOfWeek dayOfWeek)
        {
            switch (dayOfWeek)
            {
                case DayOfWeek.MONDAY:
                    Console.WriteLine("Today is Monday.");
                    break;
                case DayOfWeek.TUESDAY:
                    Console.WriteLine("Today is Tuesday.");
                    break;
                case DayOfWeek.WEDNESDAY:
                    Console.WriteLine("Today is Wednesday.");
                    break;
                case DayOfWeek.THURSDAY:
                    Console.WriteLine("Today is Thursday.");
                    break;
                case DayOfWeek.FRIDAY:
                    Console.WriteLine("Today is Friday.");
                    break;
                case DayOfWeek.SATURDAY:
                    Console.WriteLine("Today is Saturday.");
                    break;
                case DayOfWeek.SUNDAY:
                    Console.WriteLine("Today is Sunday.");
                    break;
            }
        }
    }
    public enum DayOfWeek
    {
        MONDAY,
        TUESDAY,
        WEDNESDAY,
        THURSDAY,
        FRIDAY,
        SATURDAY,
        SUNDAY,
    }
}

Output:

Today is Friday.

More C# tutorials:

In this tutorial, you have learned how to use switch-case in the C# programming language. You can use switch and case when you need to test a single expression against three or more conditions. However, if there are only a few conditions, you should use if and else statements instead.