Refactoring multi-conditional statements: the switch statement and the “if-else-if” ladder
April 30th, 2012
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There are two methods for multi-conditional processing: the “if-else-if” ladder and the switch statement. The If-Else-If ladder is a combination of ‘if’ and ‘else’ statements that is used to test a series of conditions. If the condition of the first ‘if’ statement is met, the code within the ‘if’ executes. Otherwise, the program flow is passed to the neighborhood ‘else’ statement, in which the next ‘if’ statement is located. This continues as a series of ‘if’ statements nested within the previous ‘else’ statements until all conditions have been checked. A default branch or a code block may be executed in a final ‘else’ statement if no condition is previously met.