[stmt.switch] (original) (raw)

8 Statements [stmt]

8.5 Selection statements [stmt.select]

8.5.3 The switch statement [stmt.switch]

The switch statement causes control to be transferred to one of several statements depending on the value of a condition.

If the condition is an expression, the value of the condition is the value of the expression; otherwise, it is the value of the decision variable.

The value of the condition shall be of integral type, enumeration type, or class type.

If the (possibly converted) type is subject to integral promotions, the condition is converted to the promoted type.

Any statement within the switch statement can be labeled with one or more case labels as follows:

where the constant-expression shall be a converted constant expression of the adjusted type of the switch condition.

No two of the case constants in the same switch shall have the same value after conversion.

There shall be at most one label of the formdefault : within a switch statement.

Switch statements can be nested; a case or default label is associated with the smallest switch enclosing it.

When the switch statement is executed, its condition is evaluated.

If one of the case constants has the same value as the condition, control is passed to the statement following the matched case label.

If no case constant matches the condition, and if there is adefault label, control passes to the statement labeled by the default label.

If no case matches and if there is no defaultthen none of the statements in the switch is executed.

case and default labels in themselves do not alter the flow of control, which continues unimpeded across such labels.

[Note 1:

Usually, the substatement that is the subject of a switch is compound and case and default labels appear on the top-level statements contained within the (compound) substatement, but this is not required.

Declarations can appear in the substatement of aswitch statement.

— _end note_]

A switch statement of the form

is equivalent to

except that the init-statement is in the same scope as the condition.