haphpiness

Match Expressions

match is what switch should have been. It uses strict comparison, returns a value, doesn't fall through, and throws an error if no arm matches. It's an expression, not a statement.

// switch: verbose, fall-through prone, loose comparison
switch ($statusCode) {
    case 200:
    case 201:
        $text = 'Success';
        break;
    case 404:
        $text = 'Not Found';
        break;
    default:
        $text = 'Unknown';
        break;
}

// match: concise, strict, returns a value
$text = match($statusCode) {
    200, 201 => 'Success',
    404      => 'Not Found',
    500      => 'Server Error',
    default  => 'Unknown',
};

// No expression arms — use match(true) for conditions
$category = match(true) {
    $age < 13  => 'child',
    $age < 18  => 'teenager',
    $age < 65  => 'adult',
    default    => 'senior',
};

The fact that match throws UnhandledMatchError when no arm matches is a feature, not a bug. It forces you to handle all cases explicitly, catching logic errors at runtime instead of silently producing wrong results.