how to use switch case with two push buttons, I don't know how to combine buttonState1 and buttonState2

Question

import muvium.compatibility.arduino.*; 
public class Class0 extends Arduino{ 
/*
Author: First Name MI. Last Name
Date: June 25, 2021
Title: Arduino Experiment 2
Description: Writing to the Output Pins using the FOR statement
Create a program that will display four different LED sequences having
different transition states repeated at different number of times and 
that the whole program will repeat itself continuously
Apply the concept of using funcions for each of the four LED sequences,
 each of which are to be called upon from the main program.
This time simplify the LED sequence functions using FOR control statements
to achieve the required iterations
Pin modes of each LED pins are to be iterated together using a FOR statement
The circuit:
 * LEDs connected from digital pin 4-11, all with respect to ground.
*/
// ---------------------------------------------------------
// Declaration of Global Variables:
 int led1 = 4; // LED1 connected to digital pin 4
 int led2 = 4; // LED2 connected to digital pin 4
 int led3 = 4; // LED3 connected to digital pin 4
 int led4 = 4; // LED4 connected to digital pin 4
 int switchPin1 = 2; // PushButton connected to digital pin 2
 int switchPin2 = 3; // PushButton connected to digital pin 3
 int buttonState1 = 0; // variable for reading pushbutton status
 int buttonState2 = 0; // variable for reading pushbutton status
// ---------------------------------------------------------
 public void setup() {
 // the setup() method runs once, when the sketch starts
 // initialize the digital pins as outputs;
 
 for (led1 = 4; led1 < 12; led1++) {
 pinMode(led1, OUTPUT); // Configure pin 4 to 11 as outputs
 }
 pinMode(switchPin1, INPUT);// Configure pin 2 as input
 pinMode(switchPin2, INPUT);// Configure pin 3 as input
 }
// ---------------------------------------------------------
 public void loop() {
 // the loop() method runs over and over again,
 // as long as the Arduino has power
 // read the state of pushbutton value
 buttonState1 = digitalRead(switchPin1);
 buttonState2 = digitalRead(switchPin2);
 switch (buttonState1) {
 case (0):
 for (led1 = 7, led2 = 8; (led1 > 3) && (led2 < 12); led1--, led2++) {
 digitalWrite(led1, HIGH); // set the LED on
 digitalWrite(led2, HIGH); // set the LED on
 delay(500); // wait for 500 milliseconds
 digitalWrite(led1, LOW); // set the LED off
 digitalWrite(led2, LOW); // set the LED off
 }
 break;
 case 1:
 for (led1 = 11, led2 = 9, led3 = 7, led4 = 5; (led1 > 9) && (led2 > 7) && (led3 > 5) && (led4 > 3); led1--, led2--, led3--, led4--) {
 digitalWrite(led1, HIGH); // set the LED on
 digitalWrite(led2, HIGH); // set the LED on
 digitalWrite(led3, HIGH); // set the LED on
 digitalWrite(led4, HIGH); // set the LED on
 delay(500); // wait for 500 milliseconds
 digitalWrite(led1, LOW); // set the LED off
 digitalWrite(led2, LOW); // set the LED off
 digitalWrite(led3, LOW); // set the LED off
 digitalWrite(led4, LOW); // set the LED off
 }
 break;
 
 case 2:
 for (led1 = 11, led2 = 10, led3 = 9, led4 = 8; (led1 > 6) && (led2 > 5) && (led3 > 4) && (led4 > 3); led1-=4, led2-=4, led3-=4, led4-=4) {
 digitalWrite(led1, HIGH); // set the LED on
 digitalWrite(led2, HIGH); // set the LED on
 digitalWrite(led3, HIGH); // set the LED on
 digitalWrite(led4, HIGH); // set the LED on
 delay(500); // wait for 500 milliseconds
 digitalWrite(led1, LOW); // set the LED off
 digitalWrite(led2, LOW); // set the LED off
 digitalWrite(led3, LOW); // set the LED off
 digitalWrite(led4, LOW); // set the LED off
 }
 break;
 default:
 for (led1 = 11, led2 = 4; (led1 > 7) && (led2 < 8); led1--, led2++) {
 digitalWrite(led1, HIGH); // set the LED on
 digitalWrite(led2, HIGH); // set the LED on
 delay(500); // wait for 500 milliseconds
 digitalWrite(led1, LOW); // set the LED off
 digitalWrite(led2, LOW); // set the LED off
 }
 }
 }
}

• Swedgin: Java on a microcontroller? :o. Blasphemy :p
• jsotola: what do you mean by switch case with two pushbuttons? ... what are you trying to achieve?
• Majenko: I changed your tags: on this site "switch" means a physical component that you press with your finger, not a switch/case programming construct.
• Dave Newton: If you're asking how can you switch based on the combined state of two variables you have several options. In this particular case you could create a value with a bit representing each state, say bits 0&1 would be the state of buttons 1&2, then just switch on that aggregated value. Whether or not this makes sense from The application's point of view depends on what you're trying to do, which isn't super-clear.
• jsotola: in setup(), why are you repeating the same action 4 times?

Answer 1

I don't know what that code is, but it's not Arduino code. It looks like it's wrapped in some other class. But in real Arduino code...

To "combine" your two button states it helps to think of them as two individual bits within a byte. A byte is made up of 8 bits, and any of them can be on or off. If you associate your two buttons with two of those bits you can represent them as a single number in a byte.

For example if you use:

uint8_t buttonStates = (digitalRead(switchPin2) << 1) | digitalRead(switchPin1);

you create a single variable containing both states. In simple terms that means "Read switchPin2, shift the result one bit to the left, then read switchPin1 and superimpose the two results together".

So the result is a byte where bit 1 is switchPin2 and bit 0 is switchPin1.

It gives you, then, a truth table of:

SP1 | SP2 | Variable
----+-----+----------
 0 | 0 | 0b00000000
 1 | 0 | 0b00000001
 0 | 1 | 0b00000010
 1 | 1 | 0b00000011

Which of course is the numbers 0-3 in decimal.

So then you can use a switch:

switch (buttonStates) {
 case 0: // switchPin1 == 0, switchPin2 == 0
 // do something
 break;
 case 1: // switchPin1 == 1, switchPin2 == 0
 // do something
 break;
 case 2: // switchPin1 == 0, switchPin2 == 1
 // do something
 break;
 case 3: // switchPin1 == 1, switchPin2 == 1
 // do something
 break;
}

• Anonymous Question: uint8_t doesn't work for my arduino mega in virtual breadboard :((
• Majenko: Then don't use virtual breadboard, whatever that is. This code will work on a real Arduino. If you aren't using a real Ardunio then that's your lookout.
• Dave Newton: @AnonymousQuestion Then use a different type.