orphaned case error on compile

[Ryan Foster]

I get this error when I try to compile my program.... Can you please help.
orphaned case
case Calculate_Payroll: {
There is a small arrow under the letter "c" in case....
Here is my code:
case Calculate_Payroll: {
double hours;
double rate;
double result;
Utility.separator(80, '=');

System.out.print("Amount of hours worked: ");
result = hours = Keyboard.readDouble();
System.out.print("Pay rate: ");
result = rate = Keyboard.readDouble();

if (hours >=0 && rate >=5.15) {

result *=(hours * rate);
}

Utility.skip();
Utility.printField(20, "Hours worked");
Utility.printField(10, "Pay Rate");
Utility.skip();
Utility.printField(20, Utility.moneyFormat(result));
Utility.skip();

else {
Utility.skip();
System.out.print("Error - Negative values are invalid");
break;

[Joel McNary]

Hell, Ryan, and welcome to JavaRanch!
This error usually meas that you are trying to use a "case" keyword outside of a "switch" statement. Could you please post the entire code (inside of [ CODE] and [/CODE] tags, to preserve formatting) so we can see where your switch statement is (assuming it exists!), and maybe we can help you figure out where this case statement got orphaned.
[ September 23, 2003: Message edited by: Joel McNary ]

[John Smith]

else {
Utility.skip();
System.out.print("Error - Negative values are invalid");
break;

This doesn't look right, where is the closing brace? Please use the *code* UBB code next time you post code.

[Ryan Foster]

Here is all of my code sorry about not using the UBB Code. This is my first post.

<font size="2">  </font>
public class App {
  public static void main (String[] args) {
   byte choice = 0;
   
   final byte Calculate_Pay = 1;
   final byte Author_Information = 2;
   final byte Exit = 3;
     while (choice != Exit) {
      Utility.separator(80, '=');
    
      System.out.println("Payroll Application Menu");
      Utility.skip();
      System.out.println("1 - Calculate Payroll");
      System.out.println("2 - Author Information");
      System.out.println("3 - Exit");
      System.out.print("Enter your slections: ");
      Utility.skip();
      choice = Keyboard.readByte();
   
      Utility.skip();
      Utility.separator(80, '=');
    case Calculate_Payroll: {
       double hours;
       double rate;
       double result;
       Utility.separator(80, '=');
    
         System.out.print("Amount of hours worked: ");
         result = hours = Keyboard.readDouble();
         System.out.print("Pay rate (n.nn): ");
         result = rate = Keyboard.readDouble();
  
         if (hours >=0 && rate >=5.15) {
       
         result *=(hours * rate);
          }
     
       Utility.skip();
       Utility.printField(20, "Hours worked");
       Utility.printField(10, "Pay Rate");
       Utility.skip();
       Utility.printField(20, Utility.moneyFormat(result));
       Utility.skip();
     
       else {
         Utility.skip();
         System.out.print("Error - Negative values are invalid");
       break;
    }
   }
  }
 }

[ September 23, 2003: Message edited by: Ryan Foster ]

[Joel McNary]

Well, the problem is that you don't have a switch statement. The switch statement has teh following structure:

switch (SOME_INT){
    case int1:
        doSomething();
        break;
    case int2:
        doSomethingElse();
        break;
    default:
        doDefaultAction();
        break;
}

Please note that the labels and the variable have to be ints (or something int-compatable, such as chars). Also note that you have to use a break statement at the end of each case block. If you don't, then execution will fall down to the next block!

switch(someInt){
    case 1:
        doSomething();
    case 2:
        doSomethingElse();
        break;
//...
}

In this example, if someInt == 2, then only doSomethingElse() will execute. However, if somInt == 1, then doSomething will execute, and then teh code will fall through to the next statement, which is doSomethingElse(), which will also execute!
Just a nit-pick'n' note: generally, final constants are in all caps (CALCULATE_PAY, AUTHOR_INFORMATION, EXIT). This won't make your program run better, but it will make it easier for other Java programmers to read your code.

[John Smith]

case Calculate_Payroll: {
Where is the switch that contains the case?

[Ryan Foster]

Thank you for all your help....
Ryan Foster

[John Smith]

Joel,
You beat me again by 2 minutes.