SWITCH vs. IF [chapter 5]

nyyrikki · December 11th, 2010, 04:29 PM

Hey everybody,

chapter 5, the earthquake example.
In the Earthquake.java class the author uses the 'switch/case' instead of 'if' statements. I was wondering, if there is a bigger reason for doing that.

Code:

switch(item.getItemId()) {
   case (MENU_UPDATE): {
      refreshEartchquakes();
      return true;
   }
}

Can someone tell me, if there are some speed advantages or anything like that?

Thanks in advance.
regards nyyrikki

Imar · December 15th, 2010, 07:21 AM

Depending on how you implement them, switch may be slightly faster than multiple if statements.

However, IMO, the biggest benefit is maintainability. Switch statements are much easier to read and change than many (nested) if statements.

Cheers,

Imar