note 105125 added to control-structures.switch

If you want to avoid problems with loose comparison and strings in case statements (0 matching the first string case), you can use an explicit string cast in the switch statement: switch((string)$switchkey) {...} If $switchkey is 0 then the switch statement will either jump to the 'default' case or execute nothing at all (if there is no 'default' case present). <?php $switchkey = 0; if('a string' == $switchkey) echo 'a string is 0' . PHP_EOL; if('a string' === $switchkey) echo 'but you will never see this' . PHP_EOL; switch($switchkey) { case 'a string': echo 'switch string test without explicit cast:'.$switchkey.' is a string (this is not what we want to see)' . PHP_EOL;break; case 'another string': echo 'switch string test without explicit cast: '.$switchkey.' is another string' . PHP_EOL;break; default: echo 'switch string test without explicit cast: default :'.$switchkey.' is somethign else (this is the correct choice)' . PHP_EOL;break; } switch((string)$switchkey) { case 'a string': echo 'switch string test with explicit cast:'.$switchkey.' is a string (this is not what we want to see)' . PHP_EOL;break; case 'another string': echo 'switch string test with explicit cast: '.$switchkey.' is another string' . PHP_EOL;break; default: echo 'switch string test with explicit cast: default :'.$switchkey.' is something else (this is the correct choice)' . PHP_EOL;break; } $switchkey = true; if('a string' == $switchkey) echo 'a string is TRUE' . PHP_EOL; if('a string' === $switchkey) echo 'but you will never see this' . PHP_EOL; switch($switchkey) { case 'a string': echo 'Switch boolean test without explicit cast:'.$switchkey.' is a string (this is not what we want to see)' . PHP_EOL;break; case 'another string': echo 'Switch boolean test without explicit cast: '.$switchkey.' is another string' . PHP_EOL;break; default : echo 'Switch boolean test : default without explicit cast: '.$switchkey.' is something else (this is the correct choice)' . PHP_EOL;break; } switch((string)$switchkey) { case 'a string': echo 'Switch boolean test with explicit cast:'.$switchkey.' is a string (this is not what we want to see)' . PHP_EOL;break; case 'another string': echo 'Switch boolean test with explicit cast: '.$switchkey.' is another string' . PHP_EOL;break; default : echo 'Switch boolean test with explicit cast: default:s '.$switchkey.' is something else (this is the correct choice)' . PHP_EOL;break; } ?> The script will output : a string is 0 switch string test without explicit cast:0 is a string (this is not what we want to see) switch string test with explicit cast: default :0 is something else (this is the correct choice) a string is TRUE Switch boolean test without explicit cast:1 is a string (this is not what we want to see) Switch boolean test with explicit cast: default:s 1 is something else (this is the correct choice) ---- Server IP: 69.147.83.197 Probable Submitter: 180.12.129.221 ---- Manual Page -- http://www.php.net/manual/en/control-structures.switch.php Edit -- https://master.php.net/note/edit/105125 Del: integrated -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/105125/integrated Del: useless -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/105125/useless Del: bad code -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/105125/bad+code Del: spam -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/105125/spam Del: non-english -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/105125/non-english Del: in docs -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/105125/in+docs Del: other reasons-- https://master.php.net/note/delete/105125 Reject -- https://master.php.net/note/reject/105125 Search -- https://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php