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Case Statements: Multiple Choices

Case statements match patterns. Like switch statements. Cleaner than many if-else.

Here's the thing: Case statements are cleaner for multiple choices. Use them.

Basic Syntax​

case "$choice" in
    "option1")
        echo "Option 1"
        ;;
    "option2")
        echo "Option 2"
        ;;
    *)
        echo "Default"
        ;;
esac

My take: Case is cleaner than many if-else. Use it.

Pattern Matching​

Exact Match​

case "$status" in
    "active")
        echo "Running"
        ;;
    "inactive")
        echo "Stopped"
        ;;
esac

Wildcards​

case "$file" in
    *.txt)
        echo "Text file"
        ;;
    *.sh)
        echo "Script"
        ;;
esac

My take: Patterns are powerful. Use them.

Common Patterns​

case "$choice" in
    1)
        install_package
        ;;
    2)
        remove_package
        ;;
    3)
        list_packages
        ;;
    *)
        echo "Invalid choice"
        ;;
esac

What's Next?​

Now that you understand case, let's talk about While Loops.

Personal note: I used to use many if-else. Then I learned case. Now I use it for multiple choices. It's cleaner. Use it.