Switch case

When you have to check many values against a single variable, writing a long if...else if...else ladder can get messy. That’s where switch comes in — it gives your code a cleaner, more readable structure.

Think of it like this:

Imagine you’re building a vending machine. Based on the button you press (say "A1"), the machine checks the list of options and gives you a specific snack. If your input doesn’t match any item, it gives you an error message. That’s exactly what a switch does.

Basic Syntax:

				
					switch (expression) {
  case value1:
    // do something
    break;
  case value2:
    // do something else
    break;
  ...
  default:
    // do this if no case matches
}

expression: The value you want to compare (e.g., a variable)
case: A possible value to check against
break: Ends the case (if you leave it out, the next case also runs — called “fall-through”)
default: Runs if no case matches (optional but useful)

Example

				
					let fruit = "apple";

switch (fruit) {
  case "apple":
    console.log("It's an apple!");
    break;
  case "banana":
    console.log("It's a banana!");
    break;
  case "orange":
    console.log("It's an orange!");
    break;
  default:
    console.log("Unknown fruit.");
}

If you forget break, the program will continue executing all the following cases, even if they don’t match. That’s usually not what you want—so always remember to break unless you want multiple cases to share the same result.

When to Use Switch:

When you’re checking one variable against many possible values
When you want cleaner syntax than repeating else if
When each condition is distinct and exact