The goto statement transfers the program control directly to a labeled statement.
A common use of goto is to transfer control to a specific switch-case label or the default label in a switch statement.
The goto statement is also useful to get out of deeply nested loops.
Example
The following example demonstrates using goto in a switch statement.
class SwitchTest
{
static void Main()
{
Console.WriteLine("Coffee sizes: 1=Small 2=Medium 3=Large");
Console.Write("Please enter your selection: ");
string s = Console.ReadLine();
int n = int.Parse(s);
int cost = 0;
switch (n)
{
case 1:
cost += 25;
break;
case 2:
cost += 25;
goto case 1;
case 3:
cost += 50;
goto case 1;
default:
Console.WriteLine("Invalid selection.");
break;
}
if (cost != 0)
{
Console.WriteLine("Please insert {0} cents.", cost);
}
Console.WriteLine("Thank you for your business.");
// Keep the console open in debug mode.
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit.");
Console.ReadKey();
}
}
/*
Sample Input: 2
Sample Output:
Coffee sizes: 1=Small 2=Medium 3=Large
Please enter your selection: 2
Please insert 50 cents.
Thank you for your business.
*/
The following example demonstrates using goto to break out from nested loops.
public class GotoTest1
{
static void Main()
{
int x = 200, y = 4;
int count = 0;
string[,] array = new string[x, y];
// Initialize the array:
for (int i = 0; i < x; i++)
for (int j = 0; j < y; j++)
array[i, j] = (++count).ToString();
// Read input:
Console.Write("Enter the number to search for: ");
// Input a string:
string myNumber = Console.ReadLine();
// Search:
for (int i = 0; i < x; i++)
{
for (int j = 0; j < y; j++)
{
if (array[i, j].Equals(myNumber))
{
goto Found;
}
}
}
Console.WriteLine("The number {0} was not found.", myNumber);
goto Finish;
Found:
Console.WriteLine("The number {0} is found.", myNumber);
Finish:
Console.WriteLine("End of search.");
// Keep the console open in debug mode.
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit.");
Console.ReadKey();
}
}
/*
Sample Input: 44
Sample Output
Enter the number to search for: 44
The number 44 is found.
End of search.
*/
C# Language Specification
For more information, see the C# Language Specification. The language specification is the definitive source for C# syntax and usage.
See Also
Reference
Jump Statements (C# Reference)