e/Multiway branch

Information
has gloss	eng: A multiway branch is a computer science term used to describe the change to a programs control flow based upon a value matching a selected criteria. It is a form of conditional statement. A multiway branch is often the most efficient method of passing control to one of a set of program labels, especially if an index has been created beforehand from the raw data. Examples * Branch table * Switch statement - see also alternatives below * Multiple dispatch - where a subroutine is invoked and a return is made Alternatives A multiway branch can, frequently, be replaced with an efficient indexed table lookup (using the data value itself or a calculated derivative of the data value, as the index of an array) "...the implementation of a switch statement has been equated with that of a multiway branch.
lexicalization	eng: multiway branch
instance of	c/Conditional constructs