Control Structures in Java

1. Introduction

Control structures in Java are essential components that dictate the flow of execution of a program. They allow for decision-making, looping, and branching logic.

2. Types of Control Structures

• Conditional Statements
• Looping Statements
• Branching Statements

3. If-Else Statements

If-else statements are used to execute different actions based on different conditions. Here's the basic syntax:

if (condition) {
    // code to be executed if condition is true
} else {
    // code to be executed if condition is false
}

Example:

int number = 10;
if (number > 0) {
    System.out.println("Positive number.");
} else {
    System.out.println("Negative number.");
}

4. Switch Statements

Switch statements allow for multi-way branching based on the value of an expression. Here's the syntax:

switch (expression) {
    case value1:
        // code to be executed if expression equals value1
        break;
    case value2:
        // code to be executed if expression equals value2
        break;
    default:
        // code to be executed if expression doesn't match any case
}

Example:

int day = 3;
switch (day) {
    case 1:
        System.out.println("Monday");
        break;
    case 2:
        System.out.println("Tuesday");
        break;
    case 3:
        System.out.println("Wednesday");
        break;
    default:
        System.out.println("Invalid day");
}

5. Loops

Loops are used to execute a block of code repeatedly. The main types of loops in Java are:

• For Loop

for (initialization; condition; increment/decrement) {
    // code to be executed
}

• While Loop

while (condition) {
    // code to be executed
}

• Do-While Loop

do {
    // code to be executed
} while (condition);

Example of a For Loop:

for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
    System.out.println(i);
}

6. Best Practices

• Keep control structures simple and readable.
• Avoid deep nesting of control structures.
• Use comments to explain complex logic.

7. FAQ