PHP Tutorial Tutorials - PHP switch statement

In many occasions, you may want to execute a different statement depending on which value it equals to.
If you use the If Statement,you would have to check with a nasty long block of If...ElseIf...ElseIf...Else statements.

Alternative method is to use the swtichstatement.

Syntax:

switch(expr){
    case value1:
        // Code to be executed if expr==value1
        break;
    case value2:
        // Code to be executed if expr==value2
        break;
    ...
    default:
        // Code to be executed if the expr is different from all values
}

<?php
$i = 1;
switch ($i) {
    case 1:
        echo "case 1";
        break;
    case 2:
        echo "case 2";
        break;
    default:
        echo "default";
        break;
}
?>

Output:

case 1

Don't forget to use break statement to indicate the end of case block.
If the break is missing, it will execute the code in next case block:

switch(expr){
    case value1:
        // Code to be executed if expr==value1
    case value2:
        // Case block. Code to be executed if expr==value1 or expr==value2
        break;
    ...
    default:
        // Code to be executed if the expr is different from all values
}

Example without break

<?php
$i = 1;
switch ($i) {
    case 1:
        echo "case 1";
    case 2:
        echo "case 2";
        break;
    default:
        echo "default";
        break;
}
?>

Output:

case 1case 2

<?php
$i = 1;
switch ($i) {
    case 1:
    case 2:
        echo "case 2";
        break;
    default:
        echo "default";
        break;
}
?>

Output:

case 2