Print Direction - Java Example Program

Print Direction

CODE

class PrintDirection
{
    public static void main(String arg[])
    {
        char direction = 'S';
        
        switch( direction )
        {
            case 'E': 
                System.out.println("East"); // LINE A
                break;
            case 'W': 
                System.out.println("West"); // LINE B
                break;
            case 'S': 
                System.out.println("South"); // LINE C
                break;
            case 'N': 
                System.out.println("North"); // LINE D
                break;
            default: 
                System.out.println("Unknown Direction"); // LINE E
                break;
        }
        System.out.println("After switch"); // LINE F
    
    }
}

OUTPUT

South
After switch

DESCRIPTION

Since the value of direction is 'S', it is compared with various values 'E', 'W', 'N' and 'S'. Since it matches 'S', LINE C is executed. If the direction was 'N' instead of 'S', then LINE D is executed. If the direction was 'M', since it does not match any of the values, the LINE E in the default section is executed.

THINGS TO TRY

Remove the default section and initialize the direction to 'M'.

Remove the break statement after LINE C. When you remove the break, the control does not break after LINE C and executes LINE Dhence printing North and then it breaks since it encounters break after LINE D. This is also called fall-through.

Try putting duplicate case values, by changing 'W' also to 'S'. case 'W' in LINE B to case 'S'.

Try putting ascii code of 'S' which is 83 instead of char 'S' i.e. case 83: instead of case 'S':.

Move the default block above and see that default need not be the last case and can be present any where.

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