Exercise - Complete a challenge activity using switch statements

9 minutes

Code challenges will reinforce what you've learned, and help you gain some confidence before continuing on.

Convert to switch statements challenge

In this challenge, you'll rewrite an if-elseif-else construct as a switch statement. This challenge should help you see the strengths/weaknesses of the switch statement when compared to an if-elseif-else construct. Good luck.

Code challenge: rewrite if-elseif-else using a switch statement

You'll start with code that uses an if-elseif-else construct to evaluate the components of a product SKU. The SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is formatted using three coded values: <product #>-<2-letter color code>-<size code>. For example, a SKU value of 01-MN-L corresponds to (sweat shirt)-(maroon)-(large), and the code outputs a description that appears as "Product: Large Maroon Sweat shirt".

Your challenge is to convert the if statement code to a switch statement that achieves the same result as the initial code.

Ensure that you have an empty Program.cs file open in Visual Studio Code.

If necessary, open Visual Studio Code, and then complete the following steps to prepare a Program.cs file in the Editor:
1. On the File menu, select Open Folder.
2. Use the Open Folder dialog to navigate to, and then open, the CsharpProjects folder.
3. In the Visual Studio Code EXPLORER panel, select Program.cs.
4. On the Visual Studio Code Selection menu, select Select All, and then press the Delete key.

Enter the following code into the Visual Studio Code Editor:

// SKU = Stock Keeping Unit. 
// SKU value format: <product #>-<2-letter color code>-<size code>
string sku = "01-MN-L";

string[] product = sku.Split('-');

string type = "";
string color = "";
string size = "";

if (product[0] == "01")
{
    type = "Sweat shirt";
} else if (product[0] == "02")
{
    type = "T-Shirt";
} else if (product[0] == "03")
{
    type = "Sweat pants";
}
else
{
    type = "Other";
}

if (product[1] == "BL")
{
    color = "Black";
} else if (product[1] == "MN")
{
    color = "Maroon";
} else
{
    color = "White";
}

if (product[2] == "S")
{
    size = "Small";
} else if (product[2] == "M")
{
    size = "Medium";
} else if (product[2] == "L")
{
    size = "Large";
} else
{
    size = "One Size Fits All";
}

Console.WriteLine($"Product: {size} {color} {type}");

Update the code to use a switch statement in place of the if-elseif-else construct.
Verify that your output hasn't changed.

No matter how you do it, your code should produce the following output:
```
Product: Large Maroon Sweat shirt
```

Whether you get stuck and need to peek at the solution or you finish successfully, continue on to view a solution to this challenge.

Exercise - Complete a challenge activity using switch statements

Convert to switch statements challenge

Code challenge: rewrite if-elseif-else using a switch statement

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