Not just values — conditions too

The problem...

You know how to match exact values. But sometimes a value alone isn't enough.

You need to match a range. A condition. Not just "is it this?" — but "is it this, and also that?"

The idea!

match / case supports guards — an extra condition added to a case with if. The case only matches if both the value pattern and the guard condition are true.

The syntax

match value:
    case pattern if condition:
        # runs if pattern matches AND condition is True

Guards in action

score = int(input("Enter your score: "))

match score:
    case n if n >= 90:
        print("Excellent.")
    case n if n >= 70:
        print("Good.")
    case n if n >= 60:
        print("Passed.")
    case _:
        print("Failed.")

n captures the value of score. The guard if n >= 90 adds the condition. Together — pattern and guard — decide if the case runs.

Matching on type

value = input("Enter something: ")

match value:
    case v if v.isdigit():
        print(f"{v} is a number.")
    case v if v.isalpha():
        print(f"{v} is a word.")
    case _:
        print("Mixed or unknown.")

Same value — different behavior based on what it contains. No long if / elif chain needed.

Guards with multiple conditions

age = int(input("Enter your age: "))
has_id = input("Do you have ID? (y/n): ")

match age:
    case n if n >= 18 and has_id == "y":
        print("Access granted.")
    case n if n >= 18 and has_id != "y":
        print("ID required.")
    case _:
        print("Access denied — too young.")

Guards can combine conditions with and, or, not — just like if.

match vs if / elif — when to use which

# match — clean when checking one variable against many values
match command:
    case "quit" | "exit":
        print("Leaving.")
    case "help":
        print("Help.")
    case _:
        print("Unknown.")

# if / elif — still better for complex, unrelated conditions
if score > 90 and attendance > 80:
    print("Honours.")
elif score > 60:
    print("Passed.")

match shines when you're checking one variable. if / elif is still the right tool when conditions involve multiple variables or complex logic.

Heads up!

• Guards use if after the pattern — case n if n > 0
• The variable in the pattern (n, v) captures the matched value
• Guards can use and, or, not
• match is not always better than if / elif — use the right tool

The mindset shift

Stop thinking: "match only checks exact values."

Start thinking: "match checks values — guards check conditions. Together they're powerful."

What you should understand now

• Guards add conditions to a case — case n if condition
• The pattern variable captures the matched value for use in the guard
• Guards combine with and, or, not
• Use match for one variable, many cases — if / elif for complex logic