Rule Definition
The keyword 'default' is executed when none of the conditions being tested for in the switch statement are met or executed. Having no default keyword, means that there is no backup. The cases that are "impossible" today are those most likely to be the causes of untraceable bugs in the future, when the impossible changes to the standard.
Remediation
Add the 'default' statement with appropriate handling of unexpected values.
Violation Code Sample
// Sample for C/C++
switch(color)
{
case Red:
// Handle red case
case Black:
// Handle black case
} // VIOLATION
Fixed Code Sample
// Sample for C/C++
switch(color)
{
case Red:
// Handle red case
case Black:
// Handle black case
default:
assert(false && "Impossible node color");
// Error recovery code
}
Reference
CISQ rule: ASCMM-MNT-1.
Related Technologies
.Net
C++
JEE
Technical Criterion
Programming Practices - Error and Exception Handling
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