Apex Developer Guide

Apex Developer Guide
Release Notes
Getting Started with Apex
Writing Apex
Data Types and Variables
Control Flow Statements
Conditional (If-Else) Statements
Switch Statements
Loops
Classes, Objects, and Interfaces
Working with Data in Apex
Running Apex
Debugging, Testing, and Deploying Apex
Apex Reference
Appendices
PDF

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Switch Statements

Apex provides a switch statement that tests whether an expression matches one of several values and branches accordingly.

The syntax is:

The when value can be a single value, multiple values, or sObject types. For example:

The switch statement evaluates the expression and executes the code block for the matching when value. If no value matches, the when else code block is executed. If there isn’t a when else block, no action is taken.

There is no fall-through. After the code block is executed, the switch statement exits.

Note

Apex switch statement expressions can be one of the following types.
  • Integer
  • Long
  • sObject
  • String
  • Enum

When Blocks

Each when block has a value that the expression is matched against. These values can take one of the following forms.

  • when literal {} (a when block can have multiple, comma-separated literal clauses)
  • when SObjectType identifier {}
  • when enum_value {}

The value null is a legal value for all types.

Each when value must be unique. For example, you can use the literal x only in one when block clause. A when block is matched one time at most.

When Else Block

If no when values match the expression, the when else block is executed.

Salesforce recommends including a when else block, especially with enum types, although it isn’t required. When you build a switch statement using enum values provided by a managed package, your code might not behave as expected if a new version of the package contains additional enum values. You can prevent this problem by including a when else block to handle unanticipated values.

Note

If you include a when else block, it must be the last block in the switch statement.

Examples with Literals

You can use literal when values for switching on Integer, Long, and String types. String clauses are case-sensitive. For example, “orange” is a different value than “ORANGE.”

Single Value Example

The following example uses integer literals for when values.

Null Value Example

Because all types in Apex are nullable, a when value can be null.

Multiple Values Examples

The Apex switch statement doesn’t fall-through, but a when clause can include multiple literal values to match against. You can also nest Apex switch statements to provide multiple execution paths within a when clause.

Method Example

Instead of switching on a variable expression, the following example switches on the result of a method call.

Example with sObjects

Switching on an sObject value allows you to implicitly perform instanceof checks and casting. For example, consider the following code that uses if-else statements.

You can replace and simplify this code with the following switch statement.

You can use only one sObject type per when block.

Note

Example with Enums

A switch statement that uses enum when values doesn’t require a when else block, but it is recommended. You can use multiple enum values per when block clause.