PHP match Expression
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Basic match Expression
match, added in PHP 8.0, compares a value against a set of arms and *returns* the result of whichever one matches — you assign it directly ($label = match($status) {...}) rather than writing separate echo/assignment statements inside each branch, the way switch requires.
Example: Basic match Expression
<?php
$status = 2;
$label = match($status) {
1 => 'Pending',
2 => 'Active',
3 => 'Closed',
};
echo $label;
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Grouping values with Comma
A single match arm can test for several values at once by listing them comma-separated before the => — 1, 2, 3 => low runs the same result for any of those three values, without needing three separate arms.
Example: Grouping values with Comma
<?php
$quantity = 2;
$level = match($quantity) {
1, 2, 3 => 'low',
4, 5, 6 => 'medium',
};
echo $level;
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Strict Type Comparison
switch uses loose comparison (==), so 0 == 0 can match unexpectedly. match always compares with strict semantics (===), so a string 1 will never accidentally match an integer 1 — this closes off a whole category of subtle bugs that switch is prone to.
Example: Strict Type Comparison
<?php
$value = '0';
$result = match(true) {
$value === 0 => 'integer zero',
$value === '0' => 'string zero',
default => 'other',
};
echo $result;
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The default Fallback Case
match requires every possible input to be handled — if a value hits no arm and there's no default, PHP throws an UnhandledMatchError instead of silently doing nothing. That's a deliberate design choice: rather than a case slipping through unnoticed, a missing branch becomes a hard error you can catch immediately.
Example: The default Fallback Case
<?php
$code = 99;
try {
echo match($code) {
1 => 'One',
2 => 'Two',
};
} catch (\UnhandledMatchError $e) {
echo "No arm matched: " . $e->getMessage();
}
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Complex Conditions in match
Passing true as the value being matched, then writing boolean expressions as the arm conditions, lets match evaluate arbitrary comparisons rather than just fixed values — effectively turning it into a strict, expression-based replacement for an elseif ladder.
Example: Complex Conditions in match
<?php
$age = 25;
$category = match(true) {
$age < 13 => 'child',
$age < 20 => 'teen',
default => 'adult',
};
echo $category;
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