Switch statements have many execution pathways, unlike if-then and if-then-else. Switches work with byte, short, char, and int. It also works with enumerated types, String, and a few special classes that wrap primitive types like Character, Byte, Short, and Integer (see Numbers and Strings).
In SwitchDemo, an int named month symbolizes a month. This code uses the switch statement to display the month name based on month.

public class SwitchDemo {	
    public static void main(String[] args) 
    {
        int month = 8;
        String monthString;
        switch (month) {
            case 1:  monthString = "January";
                     break;
            case 2:  monthString = "February";
                     break;
            case 3:  monthString = "March";
                     break;
            case 4:  monthString = "April";         
                     break;
            case 5:  monthString = "May";
                     break;
            case 6:  monthString = "June";
                     break;
            case 7:  monthString = "July";
                     break;
            case 8:  monthString = "August";   
                     break;
            case 9:  monthString = "September";
                     break;
            case 10: monthString = "October";
                     break;
            case 11: monthString = "November";
                     break;
            case 12: monthString = "December"; 
                     break;
            default: monthString = "Invalid month"; 
                     break;
        }
        System.out.println(monthString);
    }
}

In this example, August is printed to standard output using a switch block, which is a content of a switch statement that evaluates its expression and executes all statements following the corresponding case label. The month’s name can also be displayed using if-then-else statements.

int month = 8;
if (month == 1) {
    System.out.println("January");
} else if (month == 2) {
    System.out.println("February");
}

. . . // and so on
Readability and the expression being tested determine whether to use if-then-else or switch statements. A switch statement tests expressions based on a single integer, enumerated value, or String object, while an if-then-else statement tests ranges of values or conditions.
Another interesting point is the break statement. The switch statement ends with each break statement. After the switch block, the first statement continues control flow. Without break statements, switch block statements fail: All statements after the matching case label are executed in sequence until a break statement, regardless of case label expression. The program SwitchDemoFallThrough shows fallthrough switch block statements. It displays the integer month and the following months in the year:

public class SwitchDemoFallThrough {

  public static void main(String args[]) {
    java.util.ArrayList futureMonths = new java.util.ArrayList();

    int month = 8;

    switch (month) {
      case 1: futureMonths.add("January");
      case 2: futureMonths.add("February");
      case 3: futureMonths.add("March");
      case 4: futureMonths.add("April");
      case 5: futureMonths.add("May");
      case 6: futureMonths.add("June");
      case 7: futureMonths.add("July");
      case 8: futureMonths.add("August");
      case 9: futureMonths.add("September");
      case 10: futureMonths.add("October");
      case 11: futureMonths.add("November");
      case 12: futureMonths.add("December"); break;
      default: break;
    }

    if (futureMonths.isEmpty()) {
      System.out.println("Invalid month number");
    } else {
      for (String monthName : futureMonths) {
        System.out.println(monthName);
      }
    }
  }
}

The code generates the following output:
August
September
October
November
August September October November December
In a technical sense, the final break is unnecessary, as the switch statement eliminates flow. It is advisable to implement a break in order to facilitate the modification of the code and reduce the likelihood of errors. The default section is responsible for managing all values that are not explicitly addressed by one of the case sections.
The subsequent code example, SwitchDemo2, illustrates the possibility of a statement containing multiple case labels. The code example determines the number of days in a specific month:

class SwitchDemo2 {
    public static void main(String[] args) {

        int month = 2;
        int year = 2000;
        int numDays = 0;

        switch (month) {
            case 1:
            case 3:
            case 5:
            case 7:
            case 8:
            case 10:
            case 12:
                numDays = 31;
                break;
            case 4:
            case 6:
            case 9:
            case 11:
                numDays = 30;
                break;
            case 2:
                if ( ((year % 4 == 0) && !(year % 100 == 0))
                     || (year % 400 == 0) )
                    numDays = 29;
                else
                    numDays = 28;
                break;
            default:
                System.out.println("Invalid month.");
                break;
        }
        System.out.println("Number of Days = " + numDays);
    }
}

The code generates the following output:
Number of Days = 29