Conditionals · Lesson 5 of 6

switch Statement

Select a branch from a value with switch.

Lesson

A switch statement is useful when one value is matched against several known cases. Remember break to prevent execution continuing into later cases. Use a default branch for unexpected values. For new code, match is another option when you want an expression with stricter matching. This example maps a weekday number to a short label. Further guidance Test each branch with a normal value, a boundary value, and an unexpected value. Order range checks from specific to broad, make the fallback behavior intentional, and keep related decisions readable. A condition should use validated data rather than an untrusted request value directly. Practice task: Create a fresh example for switch Statement. Predict the result before running it, then change one input and explain why the result changes. Test a normal case and one boundary or invalid case where it applies. Compare your output with the example and note one rule you would use in a real project.

Code examples

switch Statement

PHP

$day = 6;
switch ($day) {
    case 6:
    case 7:
        echo 'Weekend';
        break;
    default:
        echo 'Weekday';
}

Expected output

Weekend

Key points

Select a branch from a value with switch.
Test boundary cases for every conditional branch.
Keep fallback behavior explicit and use validated values.

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