Control Flow Condition

I fail to understand why For loop keeps executing, if condition meet and break statement applied.

Code:

class ProgramControlStatements {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws java.io.IOException {
        System.out.println("Menu: ");
        System.out.println("Choice: ");
        System.out.println("1: If/Else");
        System.out.println("2: Switch");
        for(int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
            chooseOption();
        };
    };

    static void chooseOption() throws java.io.IOException{
        char choice = (char) System.in.read();
        switch(choice){
            case 'a':
                System.out.println("Computer control statement: If/Else");
                break;
            case 'b':
                System.out.println("Computer control statement: Switch");
                break;
            default:
                System.out.println("No valid option");
        };
    }
}

Expected result:

If char a chosen, print "If/Else" and expect next input until i<5

Computer control statement: If/Else

Actual result:

First Input -> a
Computer control statement: If/Else

No valid option

Second input -> b
Computer control statement: Switch

No valid option

Third input -> a
Computer control statement: If/Else

Program ends.

I expect default statement to be skipped since break statement is applied.
Is this happening as System.in.read() returns a new line?
I think same behaviour is to be expected from while; do-while loops?

It's not as easy as @Arvind Kumar Avinash says, depending on your OS you may encounter either a \r (carriage return), \n (new line) or both \r\n after every line.

So just adding another System.in.read() line is a workaround that may not always work.

I suggest using Scanner instead, as suggested here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13942701/take-a-char-input-from-the-scanner.

LE: As an answer to a request in the comment, I would like to specify that I always try to use Scanner when I want to parse my input and don't mind the performance. When I mind performance, I use BufferedReader. Never System.in directly. You can read more in the answers provided here https://stackoverflow.com/a/21698084/2477456.

I believe the answer is a combination between the 2 answers offered so far.

For a quick fix, @Arvind Kumar Avinash is very good.

Looking more in to the problem as @Valdrinium specifies alternatives might be considered.

I am sceptical on choosing @Arvind Kumar Avinash as definitive, although it solve the problem in this instance.

Can an admin help?

It's happening because of the dangling line break character. Just add System.in.read(); once again as shown below to consume dangling line break character e.g. (char) System.in.read() consumes just a but not the <kbd>Enter</kbd> character that you press after a.

public class Main {
	public static void main(String[] args) throws java.io.IOException {
		System.out.println("Menu: ");
		System.out.println("Choice: ");
		System.out.println("1: If/Else");
		System.out.println("2: Switch");
		for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
			chooseOption();
		}
	}

	static void chooseOption() throws java.io.IOException {
		char choice = (char) System.in.read();
		System.in.read();// Add this line
		switch (choice) {
		case 'a':
			System.out.println("Computer control statement: If/Else");
			break;
		case 'b':
			System.out.println("Computer control statement: Switch");
			break;
		default:
			System.out.println("No valid option");
		}
	}
}

A sample run:

Menu: 
Choice: 
1: If/Else
2: Switch
a
Computer control statement: If/Else
b
Computer control statement: Switch
a
Computer control statement: If/Else
b
Computer control statement: Switch
a
Computer control statement: If/Else