How to use null in switch

Question

This is not possible with a switch statement in Java. Check for null before the switch:

if (i == null) {
    doSomething0();
} else {
    switch (i) {
    case 1:
        // ...
        break;
    }
}

You can't use arbitrary objects in switch statements^*. The reason that the compiler doesn't complain about switch (i) where i is an Integer is because Java auto-unboxes the Integer to an int. As assylias already said, the unboxing will throw a NullPointerException when i is null.

^* Since Java 7 you can use String in switch statements.

More about switch (including example with null variable) in Oracle Docs - Switch

switch ((i != null) ? i : DEFAULT_VALUE) {
        //...
}

switch(i) will throw a NullPointerException if i is null, because it will try to unbox the Integer into an int. So case null, which happens to be illegal, would never have been reached anyway.

You need to check that i is not null before the switch statement.

Java docs clearly stated that:

The prohibition against using null as a switch label prevents one from writing code that can never be executed. If the switch expression is of a reference type, such as a boxed primitive type or an enum, a run-time error will occur if the expression evaluates to null at run-time.

You must have to verify for null before Swithch statement execution.

if (i == null)

See The Switch Statement

case null: // will never be executed, therefore disallowed.