Break for loop from inside of switch case in Javascript

Unfortunately, Javascript doesn't have allow breaking through multiple levels. The easiest way to do this is to leverage the power of the return statement by creating an anonymous function:

//code before
(function () {
    for (var a in b) {
        switch (something) {
        case something:
            {
                //code inside
                return;
            }
        }
    }
}());
//code after

This works because return leaves the function and therefore implicitly leaves the loop, moving you straight to code after


As pointed out in the comments, my above answer is incorrect and it is possible to multi-level breaking, as in Chubby Boy's answer, which I have upvoted.

Whether this is wise is, from a seven-year-later perspective, somewhat questionable.


it depends on what you want to accomplish... one thing I commonly do is something like this:

    //code before
for(var a in b)
{
    var breakFor = false;
    switch(something)
    {
        case something:
        {
            //code inside
            breakFor = true;
            break;
        }
    }
    if (breakFor)
        break;
}
//code after

use another variable to flag when you need to exit:

var b = { firstName: 'Peter', lastName: 'Smith' };
var keepGoing = true;
for (var a in b) {
  switch (true) {
    case 1:
      keepGoing = false;
      break;
  }
  if (!keepGoing) break;
  console.log('switch end');
}
console.log('for end');

example


You can use label. Have a labeled statement and break to that label. outerLoop is the label I have used here.

//code before
outerLoop:
for (var a in b) {
    switch (something) {
        case 'case1':
            //code inside
            break outerLoop;
    }
}
//code after