The match Control Flow Construct - The Rust Programming Language

## Keyboard shortcuts

Press `←` or `→` to navigate between chapters

Press `S` or `/` to search in the book

Press `?` to show this help

Press `Esc` to hide this help

## The `match` Control Flow Construct

Rust has an extremely powerful control flow construct called `match` that allows you to compare a value against a series of patterns and then execute code based on which pattern matches. Patterns can be made up of literal values, variable names, wildcards, and many other things; Chapter 19 covers all the different kinds of patterns and what they do. The power of `match` comes from the expressiveness of the patterns and the fact that the compiler confirms that all possible cases are handled.

Think of a `match` expression as being like a coin-sorting machine: Coins slide down a track with variously sized holes along it, and each coin falls through the first hole it encounters that it fits into. In the same way, values go through each pattern in a `match`, and at the first pattern the value “fits,” the value falls into the associated code block to be used during execution.

Speaking of coins, let’s use them as an example using `match`! We can write a function that takes an unknown US coin and, in a similar way as the counting machine, determines which coin it is and returns its value in cents, as shown in Listing 6-3.

    enum Coin {
        Penny,
        Nickel,
        Dime,
        Quarter,
    }

    fn value_in_cents(coin: Coin) -> u8 {
        match coin {
            Coin::Penny => 1,
            Coin::Nickel => 5,
            Coin::Dime => 10,
            Coin::Quarter => 25,
        }
    }

    fn main() {}

Listing 6-3: An enum and a `match` expression that has the variants of the enum as its patterns

Let’s break down the `match` in the `value_in_cents` function. First, we list the `match` keyword followed by an expression, which in this case is the value `coin`. This seems very similar to a conditional expression used with `if`, but there’s a big difference: With `if`, the condition needs to evaluate to a Boolean value, but here it can be any type. The type of `coin` in this example is the `Coin` enum that we defined on the first line.

Next are the `match` arms. An arm has two parts: a pattern and some code. The first arm here has a pattern that is the value `Coin::Penny` and then the `=>` operator that separates the pattern and the code to run. The code in this case is just the value `1`. Each arm is separated from the next with a comma.

When the `match` expression executes, it compares the resultant value against the pattern of each arm, in order. If a pattern matches the value, the code associated with that pattern is executed. If that pattern doesn’t match the value, execution continues to the next arm, much as in a coin-sorting machine. We can have as many arms as we need: In Listing 6-3, our `match` has four arms.

The code associated with each arm is an expression, and the resultant value of the expression in the matching arm is the value that gets returned for the entire `match` expression.

We don’t typically use curly brackets if the match arm code is short, as it is in Listing 6-3 where each arm just returns a value. If you want to run multiple lines of code in a match arm, you must use curly brackets, and the comma following the arm is then optional. For example, the following code prints “Lucky penny!” every time the method is called with a `Coin::Penny`, but it still returns the last value of the block, `1`:

    enum Coin {
        Penny,
        Nickel,
        Dime,
        Quarter,
    }

    fn value_in_cents(coin: Coin) -> u8 {
        match coin {
            Coin::Penny => {
                println!("Lucky penny!");
                1
            }
            Coin::Nickel => 5,
            Coin::Dime => 10,
            Coin::Quarter => 25,
        }
    }

    fn main() {}

### Patterns That Bind to Values

Another useful feature of match arms is that they can bind to the parts of the values that match the pattern. This is how we can extract values out of enum variants.

As an example, let’s change one of our enum variants to hold data inside it. From 1999 through 2008, the United States minted quarters with different designs for each of the 50 states on one side. No other coins got state designs, so only quarters have this extra value. We can add this information to our `enum` by changing the `Quarter` variant to include a `UsState` value stored inside it, which we’ve done in Listing 6-4.

    #[derive(Debug)] // so we can inspect the state in a minute
    enum UsState {
        Alabama,
        Alaska,
        // --snip--
    }

    enum Coin {
        Penny,
        Nickel,
        Dime,
        Quarter(UsState),
    }

    fn main() {}

Listing 6-4: A `Coin` enum in which the `Quarter` variant also holds a `UsState` value

Let’s imagine that a friend is trying to collect all 50 state quarters. While we sort our loose change by coin type, we’ll also call out the name of the state associated with each quarter so that if it’s one our friend doesn’t have, they can add it to their collection.

In the match expression for this code, we add a variable called `state` to the pattern that matches values of the variant `Coin::Quarter`. When a `Coin::Quarter` matches, the `state` variable will bind to the value of that quarter’s state. Then, we can use `state` in the code for that arm, like so:

    #[derive(Debug)]
    enum UsState {
        Alabama,
        Alaska,
        // --snip--
    }

    enum Coin {
        Penny,
        Nickel,
        Dime,
        Quarter(UsState),
    }

    fn value_in_cents(coin: Coin) -> u8 {
        match coin {
            Coin::Penny => 1,
            Coin::Nickel => 5,
            Coin::Dime => 10,
            Coin::Quarter(state) => {
                println!("State quarter from {state:?}!");
                25
            }
        }
    }

    fn main() {
        value_in_cents(Coin::Quarter(UsState::Alaska));
    }

If we were to call `value_in_cents(Coin::Quarter(UsState::Alaska))`, `coin` would be `Coin::Quarter(UsState::Alaska)`. When we compare that value with each of the match arms, none of them match until we reach `Coin::Quarter(state)`. At that point, the binding for `state` will be the value `UsState::Alaska`. We can then use that binding in the `println!` expression, thus getting the inner state value out of the `Coin` enum variant for `Quarter`.

### The `Option<T>` `match` Pattern

In the previous section, we wanted to get the inner `T` value out of the `Some` case when using `Option<T>`; we can also handle `Option<T>` using `match`, as we did with the `Coin` enum! Instead of comparing coins, we’ll compare the variants of `Option<T>`, but the way the `match` expression works remains the same.

Let’s say we want to write a function that takes an `Option<i32>` and, if there’s a value inside, adds 1 to that value. If there isn’t a value inside, the function should return the `None` value and not attempt to perform any operations.

This function is very easy to write, thanks to `match`, and will look like Listing 6-5.

    fn main() {
        fn plus_one(x: Option<i32>) -> Option<i32> {
            match x {
                None => None,
                Some(i) => Some(i + 1),
            }
        }

        let five = Some(5);
        let six = plus_one(five);
        let none = plus_one(None);
    }

Listing 6-5: A function that uses a `match` expression on an `Option<i32>`

Let’s examine the first execution of `plus_one` in more detail. When we call `plus_one(five)`, the variable `x` in the body of `plus_one` will have the value `Some(5)`. We then compare that against each match arm:

    fn main() {
        fn plus_one(x: Option<i32>) -> Option<i32> {
            match x {
                None => None,
                Some(i) => Some(i + 1),
            }
        }

        let five = Some(5);
        let six = plus_one(five);
        let none = plus_one(None);
    }

The `Some(5)` value doesn’t match the pattern `None`, so we continue to the next arm:

    fn main() {
        fn plus_one(x: Option<i32>) -> Option<i32> {
            match x {
                None => None,
                Some(i) => Some(i + 1),
            }
        }

        let five = Some(5);
        let six = plus_one(five);
        let none = plus_one(None);
    }

Does `Some(5)` match `Some(i)`? It does! We have the same variant. The `i` binds to the value contained in `Some`, so `i` takes the value `5`. The code in the match arm is then executed, so we add 1 to the value of `i` and create a new `Some` value with our total `6` inside.

Now let’s consider the second call of `plus_one` in Listing 6-5, where `x` is `None`. We enter the `match` and compare to the first arm:

    fn main() {
        fn plus_one(x: Option<i32>) -> Option<i32> {
            match x {
                None => None,
                Some(i) => Some(i + 1),
            }
        }

        let five = Some(5);
        let six = plus_one(five);
        let none = plus_one(None);
    }

It matches! There’s no value to add to, so the program stops and returns the `None` value on the right side of `=>`. Because the first arm matched, no other arms are compared.

Combining `match` and enums is useful in many situations. You’ll see this pattern a lot in Rust code: `match` against an enum, bind a variable to the data inside, and then execute code based on it. It’s a bit tricky at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll wish you had it in all languages. It’s consistently a user favorite.

### Matches Are Exhaustive

There’s one other aspect of `match` we need to discuss: The arms’ patterns must cover all possibilities. Consider this version of our `plus_one` function, which has a bug and won’t compile:

    fn main() {
        fn plus_one(x: Option<i32>) -> Option<i32> {
            match x {
                Some(i) => Some(i + 1),
            }
        }

        let five = Some(5);
        let six = plus_one(five);
        let none = plus_one(None);
    }

We didn’t handle the `None` case, so this code will cause a bug. Luckily, it’s a bug Rust knows how to catch. If we try to compile this code, we’ll get this error:

    $ cargo run
       Compiling enums v0.1.0 (file:///projects/enums)
    error[E0004]: non-exhaustive patterns: `None` not covered
     --> src/main.rs:3:15
      |
    3 |         match x {
      |               ^ pattern `None` not covered
      |
    note: `Option<i32>` defined here
     --> /rustc/1159e78c4747b02ef996e55082b704c09b970588/library/core/src/option.rs:593:1
     ::: /rustc/1159e78c4747b02ef996e55082b704c09b970588/library/core/src/option.rs:597:5
      |
      = note: not covered
      = note: the matched value is of type `Option<i32>`
    help: ensure that all possible cases are being handled by adding a match arm with a wildcard pattern or an explicit pattern as shown
      |
    4 ~             Some(i) => Some(i + 1),
    5 ~             None => todo!(),
      |

    For more information about this error, try `rustc --explain E0004`.
    error: could not compile `enums` (bin "enums") due to 1 previous error

Rust knows that we didn’t cover every possible case and even knows which pattern we forgot! Matches in Rust are exhaustive: We must exhaust every last possibility in order for the code to be valid. Especially in the case of `Option<T>`, when Rust prevents us from forgetting to explicitly handle the `None` case, it protects us from assuming that we have a value when we might have null, thus making the billion-dollar mistake discussed earlier impossible.

### Catch-All Patterns and the `_` Placeholder

Using enums, we can also take special actions for a few particular values, but for all other values take one default action. Imagine we’re implementing a game where, if you roll a 3 on a dice roll, your player doesn’t move but instead gets a fancy new hat. If you roll a 7, your player loses a fancy hat. For all other values, your player moves that number of spaces on the game board. Here’s a `match` that implements that logic, with the result of the dice roll hardcoded rather than a random value, and all other logic represented by functions without bodies because actually implementing them is out of scope for this example:

    fn main() {
        let dice_roll = 9;
        match dice_roll {
            3 => add_fancy_hat(),
            7 => remove_fancy_hat(),
            other => move_player(other),
        }

        fn add_fancy_hat() {}
        fn remove_fancy_hat() {}
        fn move_player(num_spaces: u8) {}
    }

For the first two arms, the patterns are the literal values `3` and `7`. For the last arm that covers every other possible value, the pattern is the variable we’ve chosen to name `other`. The code that runs for the `other` arm uses the variable by passing it to the `move_player` function.

This code compiles, even though we haven’t listed all the possible values a `u8` can have, because the last pattern will match all values not specifically listed. This catch-all pattern meets the requirement that `match` must be exhaustive. Note that we have to put the catch-all arm last because the patterns are evaluated in order. If we had put the catch-all arm earlier, the other arms would never run, so Rust will warn us if we add arms after a catch-all!

Rust also has a pattern we can use when we want a catch-all but don’t want to use the value in the catch-all pattern: `_` is a special pattern that matches any value and does not bind to that value. This tells Rust we aren’t going to use the value, so Rust won’t warn us about an unused variable.

Let’s change the rules of the game: Now, if you roll anything other than a 3 or a 7, you must roll again. We no longer need to use the catch-all value, so we can change our code to use `_` instead of the variable named `other`:

    fn main() {
        let dice_roll = 9;
        match dice_roll {
            3 => add_fancy_hat(),
            7 => remove_fancy_hat(),
            _ => reroll(),
        }

        fn add_fancy_hat() {}
        fn remove_fancy_hat() {}
        fn reroll() {}
    }

This example also meets the exhaustiveness requirement because we’re explicitly ignoring all other values in the last arm; we haven’t forgotten anything.

Finally, we’ll change the rules of the game one more time so that nothing else happens on your turn if you roll anything other than a 3 or a 7. We can express that by using the unit value (the empty tuple type we mentioned in “The Tuple Type” section) as the code that goes with the `_` arm:

    fn main() {
        let dice_roll = 9;
        match dice_roll {
            3 => add_fancy_hat(),
            7 => remove_fancy_hat(),
            _ => (),
        }

        fn add_fancy_hat() {}
        fn remove_fancy_hat() {}
    }

Here, we’re telling Rust explicitly that we aren’t going to use any other value that doesn’t match a pattern in an earlier arm, and we don’t want to run any code in this case.

There’s more about patterns and matching that we’ll cover in Chapter 19. For now, we’re going to move on to the `if let` syntax, which can be useful in situations where the `match` expression is a bit wordy.