Java Switch Expression

​

Core Mechanics

• Value Resolution and Typing: The compiler determines the final type of the switch expression based on the types of all branch results. If the branches return mixed primitive types (e.g., an int and a double), the compiler applies numeric promotion rules (resulting in a double). For reference types, the compiler determines the least upper bound (the most specific common supertype) of all branch types.
• Exhaustiveness: The compiler strictly enforces that a switch expression covers all possible values of the target variable. If the target type is an enum or a sealed class, explicitly listing all permitted values satisfies this requirement. For all other types (e.g., int, String), a default branch is mandatory.
• Null Handling: Evaluating a switch expression with a null target variable throws a NullPointerException by default. As of Java 21, this behavior can be intercepted by explicitly declaring a case null branch.
• Control Flow Restrictions: Jump statements such as return, continue, and unlabelled break cannot be used to transfer control outside of a switch expression. Attempting to return from the enclosing method from within a switch expression block results in a compile-time error.
• No Fall-Through (Arrow Syntax): Using the -> operator binds a case label directly to an expression, a block, or a throw statement. Execution evaluates only the matched branch and terminates, eliminating the need for break statements and preventing accidental fall-through.
• Multiple Case Labels: Multiple matching constants can be grouped in a single case declaration using a comma-separated list.

​

Syntax and Structure

public class SwitchArrowExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int dayOfWeek = 3;
        
        String dayType = switch (dayOfWeek) {
            case 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 -> "Weekday";
            case 6, 7 -> "Weekend";
            default -> "Invalid day";
        };
        
        System.out.println(dayType);
    }
}

public class SwitchBlockExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String status = "PENDING";
        
        int statusCode = switch (status) {
            case "APPROVED" -> 200;
            case "PENDING" -> {
                System.out.println("Status is pending approval.");
                yield 202; 
            }
            case null -> 404; // Java 21+ null handling
            default -> {
                System.out.println("Unknown status.");
                yield 400;
            }
        };
        
        System.out.println(statusCode);
    }
}

public class SwitchColonExample {
    public enum TrafficLight { RED, YELLOW, GREEN }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        TrafficLight light = TrafficLight.RED;
        
        // Exhaustive enum evaluation requires no default branch
        String action = switch (light) {
            case RED:
            case YELLOW:
                yield "Stop";
            case GREEN:
                yield "Go";
        };
        
        System.out.println(action);
    }
}