In PHP, the `Switch` statement is very similar to the Javascript `Switch` statement (See the <ahref="/javascript/switch-statements">Javascript Switch Guide</a> to compare and contrast). It allows rapid case testing with a lot of different possible conditions, the code is also more readable.
The `break;` statement exits the switch and goes on to run the rest of the application's code. If you do not use the `break;` statement you may end up running mulitple cases and statements, sometimes this may be desired in which case you should not include the `break;` statement.
While break can be omitted without causing fall-through in some instances (see below), it is generally best practice to include it for legibility and safety (see below):