C Program To Print “Welcome” without using semicolon’s using “Switch-case”

C Program To Print “Welcome” without using semicolons using “Switch-case”

Welcome to this guide on writing a C program that prints “Welcome” without using semicolons and utilizing the “switch-case” statement. This program takes advantage of C’s implicit fall-through behavior within switch cases to achieve semicolon-less execution.

Understanding the Challenge

Printing “Welcome” without semicolons presents an interesting challenge because semicolons typically mark the end of statements in C. However, within a switch-case block, statements can fall through to the next case without explicit termination using semicolons, creating an opportunity for creative semicolon-free coding.

The Code

Here’s the C program that achieves our goal:

C

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
  char str[] = "Welcome";
  int i;

  // Loop through each character in the string
  for (i = 0; str[i] != '\0'; ++i) {
    switch (str[i]) {
      case 'W': putchar('W'); // Fall through to next case
      case 'e': putchar('e'); // Fall through to next case
      case 'l': putchar('l'); // Fall through to next case
      case 'c': putchar('c'); // Fall through to next case
      case 'o': putchar('o'); // Fall through to next case
      case 'm': putchar('m'); // Fall through to next case
      case 'e': putchar('e'); // Print final 'e' and break
        break;
      default: // Handle any unexpected characters
        break;
    }
  }

  putchar('\n'); // Add newline character

  return 0;
}

Breakdown of the Code

• Variable Initialization: We declare a character array str to store the “Welcome” string and an integer i to serve as a loop counter.
• Looping through the String: A for loop iterates through each character in the str array until it reaches the null terminator (\0).
• Switch-Case Block: Inside the loop, a switch statement checks the current character (str[i]). Each case within the switch block corresponds to a letter in “Welcome”:
  • For W, e, l, c, o, and the first e, the corresponding character is printed using putchar and execution falls through to the next case (no semicolon needed).
  • For the second e, we print the character and then use break to exit the switch block.
  • The default case handles any unexpected characters.
• Printing Newline: After the loop completes, a newline character (\n) is printed using putchar.
• Returning from Main: Finally, the program returns 0 from the main function, indicating successful execution.

Explanation of Semicolonless Execution

The key to achieving semicolonless execution lies in the switch-case fall-through behavior. When a case statement doesn’t explicitly break, the control flow automatically continues to the next case. We leverage this fall-through within the first five cases to print consecutive characters without needing semicolons. Only the last e case requires a break to prevent printing additional characters unintentionally.

Advantages of this Approach

This approach demonstrates a creative use of switch-case and fall-through mechanisms. While not commonly used in practical scenarios due to potential readability concerns, it showcases an interesting aspect of C syntax and can be a fun exercise for programmers exploring the language’s nuances.

Conclusion

This guide presented a C program that prints “Welcome” without using semicolons and utilizing the “switch-case” statement. We explored the code structure, explained the semicolonless execution, and discussed the advantages of this approach. Remember, while this program serves as a learning exercise, using semicolons for clear and maintainable code remains essential in real-world C programming.

We encourage you to experiment with this code and explore other creative ways to achieve similar results. I hope you found this guide informative and engaging!