Disallowing break label (and continue label) inside an expression switch

[Brian Goetz]

Thanks for bringing this up.  I remember it being discussed once before, 
but I don't think we acted on it.

I agree that expression switch is an expression, and it should either 
yield a value or throw something; breaking out of the middle of an 
expression is not something we have, nor does it seem necessary. (Though 
I'm sure clever folks could come up with a good example where it would 
be convenient.)

A sensible extension of this is no "return" from a switch expression either:

     int foo(int x) {
         return switch (x) {
             case 1 -> 2;
             case 2 -> 4;
             case 3 -> 8;
             default: return Integer.MAX_VALUE;
         }
     }

Like conditionals, then, switch expressions would either yield a value 
(through breaking) or throw.  This seems consistent, but...what happens 
when we nest a statement in a switch expression?

     void foo(int x, int y, int z) {
         TOP:
         switch (z) {
             case 1:
                 int i = switch (x) {
                     case 1 -> 2;
                     case 2:
                         switch (y) {
                             case 1: return;
                             default: break TOP;
                         }
                 }
         }
     }

Do we disallow the "break TOP" and return in the inner switch? IOW, does 
the expression form a barrier through which control can only pass via 
break or exceptions?





On 3/2/2018 9:30 AM, Remi Forax wrote:
> Hi all,
> as far as i remember, the current idea to differentiate between a break label and a break value is to let the compiler figure this out,
> i wonder if it's not simpler to disallow break label (and continue label) inside an expression switch.
>
> After all, an expression switch do not exist yet, so no backward compatibility issue, it may make some refactoring impossible but had the great advantage to do not allow a lot of puzzler codes like the one below.
>
> enum Result {
>    ONE, MANY
> }
>
> Result result(String[] args) {
>    ONE: for(String s: args) {
>       return switch(s) {
>         case "several":
>         case "many":
>           break MANY;
>         case "one":
>           break ONE;
>         default:
>           continue;
>       };
>    }
>    throw ...;
> }
>
> Rémi