About Switch Statements

[Augusteen Chelliah]

String f(int k)
{
switch(k)
{
case 0: return "A";
case 1: return "B";
}
}

gives comile error there is no return statement in the Function f()
Can any one explain

[Saheed Adepoju]

Originally posted by Augusteen Chelliah:
String f(int k)
{
switch(k)
{
case 0: return "A";
case 1: return "B";
}
}

gives comile error there is no return statement in the Function f()
Can any one explain

Hello
You have a return type of a string and there is no place in your code that has a return, hence it will have a compile time error due to no return type. If you dont want to return any thing then you should just have a "return null" at the end of the method. I hope this helps.

[Burkhard Hassel]

Hi ranchers,

... and welcome, Augusteen, to the Java Ranch!!!


The compiler knows, that at runtime this method may return nothing. Would be the case if you call e.g.
f(123);
And if it isn't sure, that a String will returned in all circumstances, the code does not compile.

Better than Saheed's idea of returning a null at the very end of the method would be a default case, perhaps returning a blank or empty String (depends on your purposes).


Yours,
Bu.

[Karthigeyan Kannabiran]

Hi,
You can also avoid this compilation error just by putting the default case for the switch.

String f(int k)
{
switch(k)
{
case 0: return "A";
case 1: return "B";
default: return "No value";
}
}

[Bauke Scholtz]

Indeed, you have to guarantee that the method should return the appropriate value. Imagine k being 2, then nothing will be returned and therefore the compiler will complain of course.

[Aniket Patil]

If a method containing a switch statement has a non-void return type and has no return statement, then each case of the switch statement must either have an appropriate return or a throw.