Match Case

Sometimes you need to compare one value with many possible choices.

For example:

• If the user enters 1, show Home
• If the user enters 2, show Profile
• If the user enters 3, show Settings

Python has a clean way to do this called match case.

What Is Match Case?

match case checks one value and compares it with different options.

It is often easier to read than many if elif else lines.

Basic Example

day = "Monday"

match day:
    case "Monday":
        print("Start of the week")
    case "Friday":
        print("Weekend is near")
    case _:
        print("Regular day")

How It Works

Let’s break it down:

• Python checks the value of day
• It compares it with each case
• If it finds a match, it runs that block
• _ means default if nothing matches

Why Use Match Case?

Use match case when one value can have many clear options.

Examples:

• Menu choices
• Days of the week
• User commands
• Status messages

Another Example

number = 2

match number:
    case 1:
        print("One")
    case 2:
        print("Two")
    case 3:
        print("Three")
    case _:
        print("Unknown number")

Code Along

choice = "yes"

match choice:
    case "yes":
        print("You selected yes")
    case "no":
        print("You selected no")
    case _:
        print("Invalid choice")

Mini Challenge

Build a menu app.

Steps:

• Ask the user to enter a number
• If they enter 1, print:
  Home
• If they enter 2, print:
  Profile
• If they enter 3, print:
  Settings
• For anything else, print:
  Invalid option

Real World Use Case

Apps use match case for menus, commands, status checks, and handling different user selections.

Quiz

1. What does match case do?
2. When is it better than many if elif else lines?
3. What does _ mean?
4. Can match case check numbers and text?

Assignment

Create a day checker.

• Ask the user to enter a day name
• Show a different message for Monday, Friday, and Sunday
• Show Unknown day for anything else

Summary

You learned how match case helps Python compare one value with many possible choices in a clean and readable way.