JAVA CONTROL STATEMENTS

An execution path is a sequence of statements that the computer executes as it runs a program. A
control statement tells the computer to divert onto a different path. If a program has no control
statements, the JVM executes it, statement by statement, in sequential order. Often programmers
refer to an execution path as a flow of control.

Example
This application has one execution path through lines 7, 8, 9 and 10.

1 import static javax.swing.JOptionPane.*;

2
3 public class HowOldAreYou
4 {
5 public static void main( String args [ ] )
6 {
7 String prompt = "How old are you?";
8 String age = showInputDialog( prompt );
9 String output = "You are " + age + " years old.";
10 showMessageDialog( null, output );
11 }
12 }

The application uses an input dialog to read the user’s age and an output dialog to display it.

Java Control Statements Page 1

Method Call
A method call is considered a control statement because it diverts the flow of control to the
method’s block, even though it doesn’t introduce any additional paths in the program.

Example
By following one execution path through lines 5, 13, 6, 13, 7, 18, 8 and 13, the application below
outputs:
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear, Tom
Happy birthday to you

1 public class HappyBirthday

2 {
3 public static void main( String args [ ] )
4 {
5 printTo( );
6 printTo( );
7 printDear( "Tom" );
8 printTo( );
9 }
10
11 static void printTo( )
12 {
13 System.out.println( "Happy birthday to you" );
14 }
15
16 static void printDear( String name )
17 {
18 System.out.println( "Happy birthday dear, " + name );
19 }
20 }

Java Control Statements Page 2

Loops
A major category of control statements are the loops, which repeatedly execute a group of
statements some number of times.

Example
The following code shows a while statement, which repeatedly executes lines 2, 4 and 5,
stopping when c equals 3 (making c < 3 false). Its output is:

c = 1
c = 2
c = 3

1 int c = 0;
2 while ( c < 3 )
3 {
4 c++;
5 System.out.println( "c = " + c );
6 }

Here's a list of Java's loops.

Loop Behavior
while repeat statements 0 or more times until some truth value is false
do-while repeat statements 1 or more times until some truth value is false
for repeat statements and an update clause until some truth value is false

Java Control Statements Page 3

Selection Statements
Another major category of control statements are the selection statements, which choose
between groups of statements, deciding which group to execute.

Example
The if statement, shown on lines 2‒9 below, introduces a second execution path into the code.
If the value of age is 21 or more, the computer executes lines 1, 2, 4 and 10. If age is less than
21, the computer executes lines 1, 2, 8 and 10.

1 System.out.print( "You " );

2 if ( age >= 21 )
3 {
4 System.out.print( "can " );
5 }
6 else
7 {
8 System.out.print( "can't " );
9 }
10 System.out.println( "purchase liquor!" );

Here's a list of Java's selection statements.

Selection
Behavior
Statement
if choose whether or not to execute a group of statements
if-else choose one of two groups of statements to execute
switch branch to a match point and begin executing from there

Java Control Statements Page 4

Structured Control Statements
You can look at a loop or selection statement in your program and pretty much tell at which
points the flow of control enters and exits it. Some programmers refer to them as being
structured; others say that they have one entrance and one exit.

Example
Assuming there are no unstructured control statements between lines 2 and 55, execution enters
this while loop at line 1 when x is positive and exits at line 1 when x equals 0, after which it
proceeds to line 56.

1 while ( x > 0 )
2 {
~ . . .
55 }
56

Java Control Statements Page 5

Unstructured Control Statements
Java has several statements that allow you to create more than one exit in your control structures,
which earns them the title of unstructured control statements. Here's a list.

Unstructured
Control Behavior (roughly described)
Statement
break stop what you're doing and continue after the current loop
continue stop what you're doing and continue with the next loop cycle
return stop what you're doing and go back to calling method
throw stop what you're doing and generate a run-time exception

Example
This loop has two exits: (1) From line 1 to line 56 when x equals 0. (2) From line 31 to line 56 if
y equals 100.

1 while ( x > 0 )
2 {
~ . . .
31 if ( y == 100 ) break;
~ . . .
55 }
56

Java Control Statements Page 6

Structured Programming
In 1966, Corrado Böhm and Giuseppe Jacopini published a paper
showing that any computer program containing unstructured control
statements can be transformed into an equivalent program using only
structured control statements. Specifically, any unstructured control
statement can be replaced by combinations of the while and if-else
statements.1

Corrado Böhm
Of course, just because you can use only two control structures doesn't
mean that you should do so. Thus, during the decade following Böhm's
and Jacopini's paper, computer programmers argued the meaning and merits of structured
programming – What exactly is it? How do you do it? Why should you do it?

Most of this debate has been made irrelevant by the variety of control statements in modern-day
programming languages. However, the essential idea of structured programming survives –
although a conscientious computer programmer strives to use structured control statements and
one-entrance-one-exit code, he or she gives preference to code that (1) is clear to the human
reader and (2) reflects the structure of the problem being solved.

Example
We want an application that asks the user multiplication questions – what’s 2 X 3, what’s 5 X 4,
etc. The program must print a question, read the user’s answer and check it. If correct, the
program must give the user a point and encourage him or her to continue. If the answer is wrong,
the program must quit. The user can also signal that he or she wishes to quit by entering -1 for
the answer. The complete application is shown below.

The looping construct is not, in the strictest sense, “structured” because it has two exits (from
lines 24 and 29) neither of which occurs from line 38, which is where the exit ordinarily should
be. Nevertheless, the code clearly expresses the intent of the programmer and the flow of control
closely resembles the interaction required by the situation.
1 import java.util.Scanner;
2
3 public class TimesDrill
4 {
5 public static void main( String args [ ] )

1
Böhm and Jacopini, “Flow diagrams, Turing machines and languages with only two formation
rules,” Communications of the ACM, 9:5 (May 1966), pages 366-371.

Java Control Statements Page 7

 6 {
7 int a, b; // times operands
8 int ansR; // right answer
9 int ansU; // user's answer
10 int score; // user's score
11 String s; // output string
12 Scanner scanner = new Scanner( System.in );
13 System.out.println( "Practice multiplication" );
14 System.out.println( "To quit, enter -1" );
15 score = 0; // initialize score
16 do
17 { // generate question
18 a = (int)( Math.random( )*11 );
19 b = (int)( Math.random( )*11 );
20 s = a + " X " + b + " = ";
21 System.out.print( s + "? " );
22 ansR = a * b; // compute right answer
23 ansU = scanner.nextInt( ); // get user's answer
24 if ( ansU == -1 ) // user wants to quit
25 {
26 System.out.println( "Goodbye" );
27 break; // quit
28 }
29 if ( ansU != ansR ) // user answered wrong
30 {
31 System.out.print( "Sorry, " + s + ansR );
32 break; // quit
33 }
34 // user entered a correct answer so add one to
35 // score and encourage continuing
36 score++;
37 System.out.println(score+" right. Keep going!");
38 } while ( true );
39 }
40 }

Java Control Statements Page 8