Open Radar

 
Summary:
Swift provides a "switch" statement that is superficially similar to the switch statement provided by C and C++. However, it does not work the same way that C/C++ switch works, and its syntax is inconsistent with the general patterns of other Swift syntax.

C's switch statement is essentially a computed-goto statement, so it makes sense that its cases look like C goto labels. Further, C's switch supports fall-through from one case to the next, which is useful for its problem domain (low-level OS implementation).

However, Swift supports neither gotos nor fall-through, so the goto-like syntax is just confusing.

Each case in a Swift switch has its own variable scope. This is not obvious, because programmers expect braces around scopes.

A syntax like this would make more sense:

    switch x {
        case .SomeValue { ... }
        case .OtherValue, .ThirdValue { ... }
        default: { ... }
    }

Steps to Reproduce:
N/A

Expected Results:
N/A

Actual Results:
N/A

Version:
6.1.1 (6A2008a)