default as first option in switch statement?

Question

I've tested this and it works fine, but it looks... weird... to me. Should I be concerned that this is nonstandard form which will be dropped in a future version of PHP, or that it may stop working? I've always had a default case as the final case, never as the first case...

switch($kind)
{
    default:
        // The kind wasn't valid, set it to the default
        $kind = 'kind1';
        // and fall through:

    case 'kind1':
        // Do some stuff for kind 1 here
        break;

    case 'kind2':
        // do some stuff for kind2 here
        break;

    // [...]

    case 'kindn':
        // do some stuff for kindn here
        break;

}

// some more stuff that uses $kind here...

(In case it's not obvious what I'm trying to do is ensure $kind is valid, hence the default: case. But the switch also performs some operations, and then $kind is used after the switch as well. That's why default: falls through to the first case, and also sets $kind)

Suggestions? Is this normal/valid syntax?

Answer 1

It is an unusual idiom, it causes a little pause when you're reading it, a moment of "huh?". It works, but most people would probably expect to find the default case at the end:

switch($kind)
{
    case 'kind2':
        // do some stuff for kind2 here
        break;

    // [...]

    case 'kindn':
        // do some stuff for kindn here
        break;

    case 'kind1':
    default: 
        // Assume kind1
        $kind = 'kind1';

        break;

}

Answer 2

In case anybody find this page through google as I did:

I was wondering the same thing as Josh - so... One thing is standards, which I think we should all try harder to adhere too, but another thing is hacking (in the: exploit-every-possibility kinda way).

While it's ugly/weird/not normal - it IS possible and IMHO could be useful in some rare cases...

Consider the following:

$color = "greenish";
//$color = "green";

switch($color) {
    default:
        echo "no colors were selected so the color is: ";
    case "red":
        echo "red<br />\n";
        break;
    case "blue":
        echo "blue<br />\n";
        break;
    case "green":
        echo "green<br />\n";
        break;
}

If $color = "greenish"; the code will print

no colors were selected so the color is red

while if $color = "green"; or any other defined cases, it will just print the color.

It know it not the best example, but you get the point ;) Hope it helps somebody.