README.md

Match

Pattern matching-like functionality for std::visit on std::variant.

Syntax

auto result =
  match ([variant]) (
    case_<[sequence_of_types_0]> (function_0),
    case_<[sequence_of_types_1]> (function_1),
    ...
    case_<[sequence_of_types_n]> (function_n),
    [optional] default_ (function_default)
  );

If variant contains type T and T belongs to the [sequence_of_types_i], the result equivalent to calling

std::visit (function_i, [variant]);

Type sequences are allowed to overlap, in that case the first matching sequence is used.

Default case is optional. When default case is not present, the union of type sequences is required to cover all possible type of the variant, otherwise compilation error will occur.

All functions must return the same type (requirement of std::visit);

Example

We can write

auto v = std::variant<int, double, std::string, void *> { "123" };
auto number = 
  match (v) (
    case_<int, double> ([] (auto val) -> int { return val; }),
    case_<std::string> ([] (auto && str) -> int { return std::stoi (str); }),
    default_ ([] (auto) -> int { throw "not a number"; })
  );

instead of

struct to_int_visitor {
  int operator () (int val) const { return val; }
  int operator () (double val) const { return val; }
  int operator () (const std::string & str) const { return std::stoi (str); }
  template <typename Default>
  int operator () (Default) const { throw "not a number"; }
};

...

auto number = std::visit (to_int_visitor {}, v);