> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://python4ai.codewithsiva.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Match case

> Clean pattern matching in Python

## What is Match Case?

Introduced in Python 3.10, the `match` statement (also called structural pattern matching) is a clean and readable alternative to writing long chains of `if-elif-else` statements.

Think of it like checking a variable against a list of possible matches.

## Basic Syntax

Here is how you write a basic `match` statement to check response status codes:

```python theme={null}
status_code = 404

match status_code:
    case 200:
        print("Success - OK")
    case 404:
        print("Not Found")
    case 500:
        print("Internal Server Error")
    case _:
        print("Unknown Status Code")
```

### How it works:

1. Python takes the value of `status_code` and checks it against each `case`.
2. As soon as it finds a match, it runs the code under that case block.
3. The **wildcard** `case _:` acts as a default fallback (similar to `else`). It matches *anything* if no previous cases matched.

<Note>
  Unlike some other programming languages (like Java or C++ switch statements), Python's `match` statement does **not** fall through. Once a match is found, only that block runs, and Python exits the `match` block. You don't need `break` statements!
</Note>

## Combining Patterns (`|` OR)

You can check if a variable matches one of multiple values in a single `case` block by separating them with the `|` (OR) symbol:

```python theme={null}
day = "Sunday"

match day:
    case "Monday" | "Tuesday" | "Wednesday" | "Thursday" | "Friday":
        print("It's a weekday. Time to work!")
    case "Saturday" | "Sunday":
        print("It's the weekend! Time to relax.")
    case _:
        print("Not a valid day.")
```

## Conditional Guards (`if` in case)

Sometimes you want to match a pattern *only* if a certain condition is also met. You can add an `if` condition (called a **guard**) to a case:

```python theme={null}
number = 15

match number:
    case n if n < 0:
        print(f"{n} is negative")
    case 0:
        print("Zero")
    case n if n > 0:
        print(f"{n} is positive")
```

In this example, `n` acts as a temporary variable name that captures the value of `number` so it can be evaluated in the `if` guard.

## Common mistakes

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Placing case _: at the beginning or middle">
    The wildcard case `case _:` matches everything. If you place it before other cases, it will always match, and the cases below it will never run! Python will raise a `SyntaxError` if you place it anywhere except as the last case.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Using complex conditions without if guard syntax">
    You cannot use comparison operators directly in case patterns like `case < 10:`. You must use a guard pattern: `case n if n < 10:`.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Practice & Exercises

To reinforce what you've learned in this section (Match Case pattern matching), practice with these interactive notebooks:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Follow-Along Practice" icon="laptop-code">
    Practice match-case basic structures, combining patterns, and using conditional guards.

    [💻 VS Code](vscode://file/Users/sivaprasad/Downloads/python%20material/python4ai/public/notebooks/basics_exercises/Match_Case_Practice.ipynb) | [🚀 Colab](https://colab.research.google.com/github/prasad230776/python4ai/blob/master/public/notebooks/basics_exercises/Match_Case_Practice.ipynb) | <a href="/public/notebooks/basics_exercises/Match_Case_Practice.ipynb" download>📥 Download</a>
  </Card>

  <Card title="Practice Exercises" icon="pen-to-square">
    Test your knowledge with hands-on exercises on status code matching, day patterns, and number range guards.

    [💻 VS Code](vscode://file/Users/sivaprasad/Downloads/python%20material/python4ai/public/notebooks/basics_exercises/Match_Case_Exercises.ipynb) | [🚀 Colab](https://colab.research.google.com/github/prasad230776/python4ai/blob/master/public/notebooks/basics_exercises/Match_Case_Exercises.ipynb) | <a href="/public/notebooks/basics_exercises/Match_Case_Exercises.ipynb" download>📥 Download</a>
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What's next?

Now let's learn about loops to repeat code efficiently!

<Card title="Loops" icon="rotate" href="/basics/loops">
  Repeat code without copying
</Card>