# Switch Statements

## Overview
Complex switch/case or long if-else chains

## Symptoms
- Switch on type code
- Same switch duplicated across methods
- New cases require modification

## Why It Matters
OO Abuser smells indicate that object-oriented principles are not being applied correctly or are being actively circumvented. As an **OO Abuser**, this smell undermines the polymorphism and encapsulation that make OO designs resilient to change.

Specifically, it violates the **Open/Closed Principle (OCP)**, requiring modification of existing code to accommodate new behaviour.

## How to Fix
- **Replace Conditional With Polymorphism** (`RF-039`)
- **Replace Type Code With Subclasses** (`RF-031`)
- **Replace Type Code With State Strategy** (`RF-030`)
- **Replace Type Code With Class** (`RF-029`)
- **Introduce Null Object** (`RF-037`)
- **Extract Method** (`RF-001`)
- **Decompose Conditional** (`RF-035`)

## Connections
**Violates:** Open/Closed Principle (`LAW-042-O`)

**Resolved by refactoring:** Replace Conditional With Polymorphism (`RF-039`), Replace Type Code With Subclasses (`RF-031`), Replace Type Code With State Strategy (`RF-030`), Replace Type Code With Class (`RF-029`), Introduce Null Object (`RF-037`), Extract Method (`RF-001`), Decompose Conditional (`RF-035`)

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*Based on: Refactoring (Fowler, 1999)*