What does "case" mean in programming?

case is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.

Definition

A keyword used inside a switch statement to define a branch that runs when the switch expression matches the case value.

Example

"switch (status) { case 'ok': return 200; case 'error': return 500; }"

Related terms

switch
default
break

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