LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Switch: Switch Statement
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It is important to understand how the switch statement is executed in order to avoid mistakes. The switch statement executes line by line (actually, statement by statement). In the beginning, no code is executed. Only when a case statement is found with a value that matches the value of the switch expression does PHP begin to execute the statements. PHP continues to execute the statements until the end of the switch block, or the first time it sees a break statement. If you don't write a break statement at the end of a case's statement list, PHP will go on executing the statements of the following case.
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The module augments the standard Perl syntax with two new control statements: switch and case. The switch statement takes a single scalar argument of any type, specified in parentheses. switch stores this value as the current switch value in a (localized) control variable. The value is followed by a block which may contain one or more Perl statements (including the case statement described below). The block is unconditionally executed once the switch value has been cached.
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Deciding whether to use if-then-else statements or a switch statement is sometimes a judgment call. You can decide which one to use based on readability and other factors. An if-then-else statement can be used to make decisions based on ranges of values or conditions, whereas a switch statement can make decisions based only on a single integer or enumerated value.
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[W]hen a case block has been executed control is automatically transferred to the statement after the immediately enclosing switch block, rather than to the next statement within the block. In other words, the success of any case statement prevents other cases in the same scope from executing. But see "Allowing fall-through" below.
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In answer to njones at fredesign dot com, what you're seeing is the way the switch statement is supposed to work. The switch statement evaluates the cases, top to bottom, until it finds the first one that matches the value being switch()ed on. So, for example, if you had:
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Unlike if-then and if-then-else, the switch statement allows for any number of possible execution paths. A switch works with the byte, short, char, and int primitive data types. It ... works with enumerated types (discussed in Classes and Inheritance) and a few special classes that "wrap" certain primitive types: Character, Byte, Short, and Integer (discussed in Simple Data Objects ).
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Switch Statement