import ballerina/io;

const KEY = "xyzzy";

function matchTest(any v) returns string {
    // The value of the `v` variable is matched against the
    // given value match patterns.
    match v {
        17 => {
            return "number";
        }
        true => {
            return "boolean";
        }
        "str" => {
            return "string";
        }
        KEY => {
            return "constant";
        }
        0|1 => {
            return "or";
        }
        _ => {
            return "any";
        }
    }

}

public function main() {
    io:println(matchTest("str"));
    io:println(matchTest(17));
    io:println(matchTest(20.5));
}

Match statement

match statement is similar to switch statement in C and JavaScript. It matches the value, not the type. == is used to test whether left hand side matches the value being matched. Left hand side can be a simple literal (nil, boolean, int, float, string) identifier referring to a constant. Left hand side of _ matches if the value is of type any. You can use | to match more than one value.

 
import ballerina/io;

const KEY = "xyzzy";

function matchTest(any v) returns string {

    match v {
        17 => {
            return "number";
        }
        true => {
            return "boolean";
        }
        "str" => {
            return "string";
        }
        KEY => {
            return "constant";
        }
        0|1 => {
            return "or";
        }
        _ => {
            return "any";
        }
    }

The value of the v variable is matched against the given value match patterns.

}

public function main() {
    io:println(matchTest("str"));
    io:println(matchTest(17));
    io:println(matchTest(20.5));
}

bal run match_statement.bal
string
number
any