Enum with switch pattern in C Sharp (C#) - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Enum with switch pattern

Start

↓

Define Enum

↓

Assign Enum Variable

↓

Switch on Enum

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Case 1: Match Enum Value

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Execute Case 1 Code

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Case 2: Match Enum Value

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Execute Case 2 Code

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Default Case

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Execute Default Code

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End

The program defines an enum, assigns a value, then uses a switch to run code based on the enum value.

Execution Sample

C Sharp (C#)

enum Day { Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday }
Day today = Day.Tuesday;
switch (today) {
  case Day.Monday: Console.WriteLine("Start of week"); break;
  case Day.Tuesday: Console.WriteLine("Second day"); break;
  default: Console.WriteLine("Other day"); break;
}

This code prints a message depending on the day stored in the enum variable.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Enum Value	Switch Case Checked	Output
1	Assign today = Day.Tuesday	Tuesday	-	-
2	Enter switch with today = Tuesday	Tuesday	-	-
3	Check case Day.Monday	Tuesday	Monday	No match, continue
4	Check case Day.Tuesday	Tuesday	Tuesday	Match found
5	Execute Console.WriteLine("Second day")	Tuesday	Tuesday	Second day
6	Break from switch	Tuesday	-	-
7	End of switch	Tuesday	-	-

💡 Switch ends after matching Day.Tuesday case and executing its code.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 7
today	undefined	Tuesday	Tuesday

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the switch skip the Day.Monday case?

Because the enum variable 'today' is set to Day.Tuesday, so the switch checks Day.Monday, finds no match (see step 3), and moves on.

What happens if no case matches the enum value?

The switch executes the default case code (not shown in this trace but would happen if no match), ensuring some code runs for unmatched values.

Why is there a break after each case?

The break stops the switch from checking further cases after a match, preventing multiple outputs (see step 6).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is the value of 'today' after step 1?

A Monday

B Tuesday

C Wednesday

D undefined

💡 Hint

Check the 'Enum Value' column at step 1 in the execution_table.

At which step does the switch find a matching case?

A Step 3

B Step 5

C Step 4

D Step 6

💡 Hint

Look for 'Match found' in the 'Output' column of the execution_table.

If 'today' was set to Day.Monday, which step would output 'Start of week'?

A Step 5

B Step 3

C Step 4

D Step 6

💡 Hint

Consider when Console.WriteLine runs after matching the case in the execution_table.

Concept Snapshot

Enum with switch pattern in C#:
- Define enum with named values.
- Assign enum variable.
- Use switch(variable) to check enum cases.
- Each case matches an enum value.
- Use break to stop after match.
- Default case handles unmatched values.

Full Transcript

This example shows how to use an enum with a switch statement in C#. First, an enum named Day is defined with values Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Then, a variable 'today' is assigned the value Day.Tuesday. The switch statement checks the value of 'today'. It first compares with Day.Monday and finds no match, then with Day.Tuesday and finds a match. It executes the code for Day.Tuesday, printing 'Second day'. The break statement stops further checking. If no cases matched, the default case would run. This pattern helps run different code based on enum values clearly and safely.