If-else working, switch not [duplicate]

Question

I am making an app that has a grid of images with text and each one opens a different activity. It works fine but just for design purposes I want to replace my if-else statements with switch statements (which I assume I can do) however it doesn't work. Right now my working code to set the label on each image is:

if(position == 0)
        textView.setText(R.string.zero);
    else if(position == 1)
        textView.setText(R.string.one);
    else if(position == 2)
        textView.setText(R.string.two);
    else if(position == 3)
        textView.setText(R.string.three);
    else if(position == 4)
        textView.setText(R.string.four);
    else if(position == 5)
        textView.setText(R.string.five);
ect....

I want to use:

switch(position)
case 0:
   textView.setText(R.string.zero);    
case 1:
   textView.setText(R.string.one);
case 2:
   textView.setText(R.string.two);    
case 3:
   textView.setText(R.string.three);
case 4:
   textView.setText(R.string.four);    

but when I did that ever label was the last one that I defined (in my example it would be "four"). I also have a similar code for each object to start a different intent with the position variable however that does the opposite and makes every intent equal to the first one. Is my syntax wrong or will this not work for my situation?

Answer 1

You need to break; after each statement in a case, otherwise execution flows down (all cases below the one you want will also get called), so you'll always get the last case.

switch(position) {
case 0:
    textView.setText(R.string.zero); 
    break; 
case 1:
    textView.setText(R.string.one);
    break; 
case 2:
    textView.setText(R.string.two);   
    break;  
case 3:
    textView.setText(R.string.three);
    break; 
case 4:
    textView.setText(R.string.four); 
    break; 
}

Here's the official tutorial explaining when to and when not to use break;.

Answer 2

You need to break; after each branch:

switch (position) {
    case 0:
        textView.setText(R.string.zero);
        break; // <-- here
    // etc
}

Legitimate uses of switch when you don't break exist, those are called fall throughs; or because you return or throw.:

switch (someNumber) {
    case 0:
        return 0; 
        // no need for break here
    case 1:
        throw new IllegalArgumentException();
        // no need to break here
    case 2:
        System.out.println("Oh, I got two!");
        // fall through
    case 3:
        return 3;
    default:
        System.out.println("Meh")
        // No need to break: last possible branch
}

return -1;

will return 3 even if you enter 2.

But otherwise you need to break.