🧠 Replacing Conditionals with Object Literals

In JavaScript, developers often use switch or if-else statements to handle multiple conditional branches. However, as the number of cases grows, these structures can become harder to manage and less performant.

A cleaner and more efficient alternative is the Object Literal Lookup, also known as the Object Map Pattern.

⚠️ The Problem with Switch

Take this example:

function handleAction(action) {
  switch (action) {
    case 'create':
      console.log('Creating...');
      break;
    case 'update':
      console.log('Updating...');
      break;
    case 'delete':
      console.log('Deleting...');
      break;
    default:
      console.log('Unknown action');
  }
}

As more cases are added, the code becomes longer and more repetitive. Plus, switch statements evaluate each case sequentially until a match is found.

💡 The Solution: Object Literal Lookup

const actions = {
  create: () => console.log('Creating...'),
  update: () => console.log('Updating...'),
  delete: () => console.log('Deleting...'),
  default: () => console.log('Unknown action')
};

function handleAction(action) {
  (actions[action] || actions.default)();
}

✅ Benefits

• Constant-time access (O(1)) via key lookup

• Cleaner and more maintainable code

• Easily extendable (just add new keys)

🧰 When to Use It

This pattern is especially useful when:

• Each case represents a distinct and independent behavior

• You want to avoid long switch or if-else blocks

• You prefer a more declarative or functional style