What are the differences between pattern matching and if-elif in Python 3.10?

What are the differences between pattern matching and if-elif in Python 3.10?

In Python 3.10, pattern matching introduces a more expressive way to handle conditional logic compared to if-elif statements.

Can you give me an example of pattern matching?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

match value:
    case 1:
        print('One')
    case 2:
        print('Two')
    case _:
        print('Something else')

How does this compare to using if-elif?

Using if-elif, it would look like this:

if value == 1:
    print('One')
elif value == 2:
    print('Two')
else:
    print('Something else')

Pattern matching is often cleaner and more readable for complex conditions.

Are there any performance differences between the two?

Pattern matching can be more efficient in certain scenarios, especially with complex data structures, as it can reduce the number of comparisons.