match Expression (PHP 8.0)

TL;DR

Explanation

match($x) { pattern => value, ... } differences from switch: strict comparison (===, no coercion), each arm is a single expression (no statements, no break needed), match returns a value (expression, not statement), no fall-through (comma-separated patterns for multiple matches), throws UnhandledMatchError with no match and no default. Multiple patterns per arm: 1, 2 => 'low'. Combining with null coalescing: $result = match(true) { $a > 0 => 'positive', default => 'zero or negative' }. Works with enums (PHP 8.1): match($status) { Status::Active => ... }.

Common Misconception

Why It Matters

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting default arm — throws UnhandledMatchError.
• Trying multi-statement arms — each arm is one expression.
• Not knowing match uses === — helps avoid type coercion bugs common in switch.

Code Examples

switch ($status) {
    case 'active': $label = 'Active'; break;
    case 'inactive': $label = 'Inactive'; break;
    default: $label = 'Unknown';
}

$label = match($status) {
    'active'   => 'Active',
    'inactive' => 'Inactive',
    default    => throw new InvalidArgumentException("Unknown: $status")
};

// Multiple patterns:
$type = match($code) {
    200, 201, 202 => 'success',
    400, 422      => 'client error',
    500, 503      => 'server error',
};

References

• ↗ https://www.php.net/manual/en/control-structures.match.php

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