The syntax of the switch statement is extended ever-so-slightly. The type of the Expression is now permitted to be an enum class. (Note that java.util.Enum is not an enum class.) A new production is added for SwitchLabel:

SwitchLabel:
	case EnumConst :

EnumConst:
	Identifier
					

The Identifier must correspond to one of UNQUALIFIED enumeration constants.

Here is a slightly more complex enum declaration for an enum type with an explicit instance field and an accessor for this field. Each member has a different value in the field, and the values are passed in via a constructor. In this example, the field represents the value, in cents, of an American coin.

public enum Coin {
	PENNY(1), NICKEL(5), DIME(10), QUARTER(25);

	Coin(int value) { 
		this.value = value; 
	}	
	private final int value;	
	public int getValue() { return value; }
}
					

Switch statements are useful for simulating the addition of a method to an enum type from outside the type. This example "adds" a color method to the Coin class, and prints a table of coins, their values, and their colors.

import static java.lang.System.out;

public class CoinTest {
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		for (Coin c : Coin.values()) {
			out.println(c + ":   \t" + c.getValue() + "c  \t" + color(c));
		}
	}

	private enum CoinColor {
		COPPER, NICKEL, SILVER
	}

	private static CoinColor color(Coin c) {
		if (c == null) {
			throw new NullPointerException();
		}
		
		switch (c) {
//			case Coin.PENNY: {} // Compile error! Must be UNQUALIFIED !!!
			case PENNY:
				return CoinColor.COPPER;
			case NICKEL:
				return CoinColor.NICKEL;
			case DIME:
				return CoinColor.SILVER;
			case QUARTER:
				return CoinColor.SILVER;
//			case 2: {} 	// Compile error !!!
					// Type mismatch: cannot convert from int to Coin
		}

		throw new AssertionError("Unknown coin: " + c);
	}
}
					

Running the program prints:

PENNY:   	1c  	COPPER
NICKEL:   	5c  	NICKEL
DIME:   	10c  	SILVER
QUARTER:   	25c  	SILVER