diff --git a/exercises/108_labeled_switch.zig b/exercises/108_labeled_switch.zig index dfc061a..0748d9d 100644 --- a/exercises/108_labeled_switch.zig +++ b/exercises/108_labeled_switch.zig @@ -1,15 +1,54 @@ // -// A labeled switch in zig allows the usage of continue and break -// just like loops, these allow you to create very concise -// Finite State Automata to represent state transitions +// You've heard of while loops in exercises 011,012,013 and 014 +// You've also heard of switch expressions in exercises 030 and 31. +// You've also seen how labels can be used in exercise 063. // -// foo: switch (state) { -// 1 => continue :foo 2, -// 2 => continue :foo 3, -// 3 => break :foo, -// 4 => {}, -// ... -// } +// By combining while loops and switch statements with continue and break statements +// one can create very concise State Machines. +// +// One such example would be: +// +// pub fn main() void { +// var op: u8 = 1; +// while (true) { +// switch (op) { +// 1 => { op = 2; continue; }, +// 2 => { op = 3; continue; }, +// 3 => return, +// 4 => {}, +// } +// break; +// } +// std.debug.print("This statement cannot be reached"); +// } +// +// By combining all we've learned so far, we can now proceed with a labeled switch +// +// A labeled switch is some extra syntatic sugar, which comes with all sorts of +// candy (performance benefits). Don't believe me? Directly to source https://github.com/ziglang/zig/pull/21367 +// +// Here is the previous excerpt implemented as a labeled switch instead: +// +// pub fn main() void { +// foo: switch (@as(u8, 1)) { +// 1 => continue :foo 2, +// 2 => continue :foo 3, +// 3 => return, +// 4 => {}, +// } +// std.debug.print("This statement cannot be reached"); +// } +// +// The flow of execution on this second case is: +// 1. The switch starts with value '1'; +// 2. The switch evaluates to case '1' which in turn uses the continue statement +// to re-evaluate the labeled switch again, now providing the value '2'; +// 3. In the case '2' we repeat the same pattern as case '1' +// but instead the value to be evaluated is now '3'; +// 4. Finally we get to case '3', where we return from the function as a whole. +// +// Since step 4 or a break stament do not exist in this switch, the debug statement is +// never executed // const std = @import("std");