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switch Statement

The switch statement makes a decision based on the value of a variable or expression.

Syntax

switch( switch_variable )
{
   case value1:
      statement_block
      break;
   case value2:
      statement_block
      break;
   .
   .
   .
   [default:
      statement_block;]
}

Usage

The switch statement is a way of choosing among alternatives when each choice depends upon the value of a single variable.

The variable switch_variable is evaluated, and then it is compared to the values in the case statements (value1, value2, ..., default) until a match is found. The statement block following the matched case is executed until the end of the switch block is reached or until a break statement exits the switch block.

If no match is found and a default statement exists, the default statement executes.

Make sure to use a break statement to end each case. In the following example, if the break statement after the "I=I+2;" statement were omitted, the computer executes both "I=I+2;" and "I=I+3;", because the Siebel eScript interpreter executes commands in the switch block until it encounters a break statement.

Example

Suppose that you had a series of account numbers, each beginning with a letter that indicates the type of account. You could use a switch statement to carry out actions depending on the account type, as in the following example:

switch ( key[0] )
{
case 'A':
   I=I+1;
   break;
case 'B':;
   I=I+2
   break;
case 'C':
   I=I+3;
   break;
default:
   I=I+4;
   break;
}

See Also

if Statement