What is the Python equivalent for a case/switch statement? [duplicate]

Is there a Python equivalent for the switch statement?

2 Answers

Python 3.10 and above

In Python 3.10, they introduced the pattern matching.

Example from the Python documentation:

def http_error(status): match status: case 400: return "Bad request" case 404: return "Not found" case 418: return "I'm a teapot" # If an exact match is not confirmed, this last case will be used if provided case _: return "Something's wrong with the internet"

Before Python 3.10

While the official documentation are happy not to provide switch, I have seen a solution using dictionaries.

For example:

# define the function blocks
def zero(): print "You typed zero.\n"
def sqr(): print "n is a perfect square\n"
def even(): print "n is an even number\n"
def prime(): print "n is a prime number\n"
# map the inputs to the function blocks
options = {0 : zero, 1 : sqr, 4 : sqr, 9 : sqr, 2 : even, 3 : prime, 5 : prime, 7 : prime,
}

Then the equivalent switch block is invoked:

options[num]()

This begins to fall apart if you heavily depend on fall through.

The direct replacement is if/elif/else.

However, in many cases there are better ways to do it in Python. See "Replacements for switch statement in Python?".