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Discussion on: Switch statements in javascript – How to refactor?

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lexlohr profile image
Alex Lohr •

Switch statements can shine if multiple comparators should yield the same result. Otherwise objects, Maps (if the comparators are not strings) or if/else/ternary chains are better.

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ajayv1 profile image
Ajay Kumar Verma •

Alex, didn't get the point.

You mean if comparators are string then switch would be better? I don't think so, as matching the string the object key will take same amount of time same as switch.

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lexlohr profile image
Alex Lohr •

Maybe an oversimplified example may help:

const positionInWeek = (dayOfWeek) => {
  switch (dayOfWeek) {
    case "Monday":
    case "Tuesday":
      return "Start of the week"
    case "Wednesday":
    case "Thursday":
    case "Friday":
      return "Middle of the week"
    case "Saturday":
    case "Sunday":
      return "End of the week"
    default:
      throw new Error("Not a week day")
  }
}
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This would be harder to understand in an object or if-else-if-chain.