break statement in "if else" - java

Question

I keep getting an error, if without else.

I tried else if as well

for (;;){
        System.out.println("---> Your choice: ");
        choice = input.nextInt();
        if (choice==1)
            playGame();
        if (choice==2)
            loadGame();
        if (choice==3)
            options();
        if (choice==4)
            credits();
        if (choice==5)
            System.out.println("End of Game\n Thank you for playing with us!");
            break;
        else
            System.out.println("Not a valid choice!\n Please try again...\n");=[;'mm
    }

also if you have a better idea on how to present this code please do not hesitate :)

Answer 1

The "break" command does not work within an "if" statement.

If you remove the "break" command from your code and then test the code, you should find that the code works exactly the same without a "break" command as with one.

"Break" is designed for use inside loops (for, while, do-while, enhanced for and switch).

Answer 2

Because your else isn't attached to anything. The if without braces only encompasses the single statement that immediately follows it.

if (choice==5)
{
    System.out.println("End of Game\n Thank you for playing with us!");
    break;
}
else
{
   System.out.println("Not a valid choice!\n Please try again...\n");
}

Not using braces is generally viewed as a bad practice because it can lead to the exact problems you encountered.

In addition, using a switch here would make more sense.

int choice;
boolean keepGoing = true;
while(keepGoing)
{
    System.out.println("---> Your choice: ");
    choice = input.nextInt();
    switch(choice)
    {
        case 1: 
            playGame();
            break;
        case 2: 
            loadGame();
            break;
        // your other cases
        // ...
        case 5: 
            System.out.println("End of Game\n Thank you for playing with us!");
            keepGoing = false;
            break;
        default:
            System.out.println("Not a valid choice!\n Please try again...\n");
     }
 }         

Note that instead of an infinite for loop I used a while(boolean), making it easy to exit the loop. Another approach would be using break with labels.