Switch Expressions, Ternary & Labels

switch with yield

A switch expression arm can be a full block instead of a single value — use yield to produce the result from inside it. Every path must yield a value, and the compiler checks all enum/sealed cases are covered.

int stars = switch (rating) {
    case 1, 2 -> 1;
    case 3 -> 3;
    default -> {
        int bonus = rating > 5 ? 1 : 0;
        yield rating + bonus;
    }
};

Ternary — use sparingly

cond ? a : b is great for one simple choice assigned to a variable. Nesting ternaries (a ? b : c ? d : e) reads badly — prefer an if/else chain or a switch expression once it gets that complex.

Labelled break/continue

A label before a loop lets break label; or continue label; target that specific (possibly outer) loop from deep inside nested loops — the only clean way to bail out of two loops at once.

search:
for (int i = 0; i < grid.length; i++) {
    for (int j = 0; j < grid[i].length; j++) {
        if (grid[i][j] == target) {
            System.out.println(i + "," + j);
            break search;   // exits BOTH loops
        }
    }
}