The match statement in Python, introduced in Python 3.10, is a structural pattern matching feature that allows developers to check a value against a series of patterns, executing code based on the first match. It is similar to switch-case statements found in other languages like C or JavaScript but is far more powerful and versatile.

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Syntax of match

match subject:
    case pattern1:
        # Code block if pattern1 matches
    case pattern2:
        # Code block if pattern2 matches
    case _:
        # Code block if no pattern matches (default case)

• subject: The value to be matched.
• case: Represents a specific pattern to match against the subject.
• _: Acts as a wildcard to match anything (like a “default” case).

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Basic Example

command = "start"

match command:
    case "start":
        print("Starting...")
    case "stop":
        print("Stopping...")
    case _:
        print("Unknown command")

Output:

Starting...

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Powerful Features of match

1. Matching Literal Values

x = 10

match x:
    case 0:
        print("Zero")
    case 10:
        print("Ten")
    case _:
        print("Other number")

2. Matching Data Structures

You can match lists, tuples, or dictionaries.

data = ("hello", 42)

match data:
    case ("hello", 42):
        print("Exact match!")
    case (str_value, int_value):
        print(f"String: {str_value}, Integer: {int_value}")

3. Matching Classes

You can match attributes of objects, such as data classes.

from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass
class Point:
    x: int
    y: int

p = Point(1, 2)

match p:
    case Point(x=1, y=2):
        print("Point at (1, 2)")
    case Point(x=1, y=y_val):
        print(f"Point with x=1 and y={y_val}")

4. Wildcard and Guards

• _ is a wildcard that matches anything.
• Guards (if) add conditional checks to patterns.

x = 10

match x:
    case _ if x > 5:
        print("Greater than 5")
    case _:
        print("Five or less")

5. Nested Patterns

data = {"key": {"subkey": 10}}

match data:
    case {"key": {"subkey": value}}:
        print(f"Value is {value}")

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Use Cases

1. Parsing command-line arguments.
2. Handling multiple cases for input data.
3. Simplifying nested if-elif chains.
4. Deconstructing complex data structures like dictionaries, tuples, or custom classes.

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Advantages

1. More expressive than traditional if-elif chains.
2. Provides pattern matching capabilities similar to functional languages like Haskell or Scala.
3. Makes the code more readable and concise, especially when handling complex conditions.

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This addition greatly enhances Python’s capabilities for working with structured data and conditional logic.