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Conditionals

Conditional statements are used to perform different actions based on different conditions.

PHP Conditional Statements

In PHP we have the following conditional statements:

if statement

<?php
$t = date("H");

if ($t < "20") {
  echo "Have a good day!";
}
?>

if...else statement

<?php
$t = date("H");

if ($t < "20") {
  echo "Have a good day!";
} else {
  echo "Have a good night!";
}
?>

if...elseif...else statement

<?php
$t = date("H");

if ($t < "10") {
  echo "Have a good morning!";
} elseif ($t < "20") {
  echo "Have a good day!";
} else {
  echo "Have a good night!";
}
?>

endif

The endif keyword is used to mark the end of an if conditional which was started with the if(...): syntax. It also applies to any variation of the if conditional, such as if...elseif and if...else.

<?php
$a = 4;
if($a < 5):
  echo "Less than five";
endif;
?>

<?php
$a = 4;
if($a < 5):
  echo "Less than five";
elseif($a < 10):
  echo "More than five but less than ten";
else:
  echo "Greater than ten";
endif;
?>

switch statement

<?php
$favcolor = "red";

switch ($favcolor) {
  case "red":
    echo "Your favorite color is red!";
    break;
  case "blue":
    echo "Your favorite color is blue!";
    break;
  case "green":
    echo "Your favorite color is green!";
    break;
  //Use default to handle unspecified cases in a switch block
  default:
    echo "Your favorite color is neither red, blue, nor green!";
}
?>

endswitch

The endswitch keyword is used to mark the end of a switch conditional which was started with the switch(...): syntax.

<?php
$a = 4;
switch($a):
  case 1: echo "One"; break;
  case 2: echo "Two"; break;
  case 3: echo "Three"; break;
  default: echo "Many"; break;
endswitch;
?>

match statement

The match expression, introduced in PHP 8, is an improvement over the traditional switch statement. It provides a more concise syntax and has strict type comparison (===), making it safer to use in certain scenarios. 

$result = match ($variable) {
    value1 => return_value1,
    value2 => return_value2,
    default => return_value_default,
};
- Each case is written as value => return_value, - match returns a value, so it's an expression, not just a control structure. - No break is needed, unlike switch. - Strict comparison (===) is used instead of loose comparison (==), reducing unexpected bugs.

Comparing match vs. switch

Example 1: Basic Comparison
Using switch

$color = 'red';

switch ($color) {
    case 'red':
        $message = 'Stop';
        break;
    case 'yellow':
        $message = 'Slow down';
        break;
    case 'green':
        $message = 'Go';
        break;
    default:
        $message = 'Invalid color';
        break;
}

echo $message; // Output: Stop
Using match (More Concise) 
$color = 'red';

$message = match ($color) {
    'red' => 'Stop',
    'yellow' => 'Slow down',
    'green' => 'Go',
    default => 'Invalid color',
};

echo $message; // Output: Stop

Advantages of match
  1. More Concise – No need for break.
  2. Strict Comparison (===) – Prevents unintended type coercion.
  3. Returns a Value Directly – No need to define $message beforehand.
Example 2: Handling Numeric Cases
switch with Loose Comparison (==)
$value = '2';

switch ($value) {
    case 2: // This will match because switch uses loose comparison (==)
        $result = 'Matched as number 2';
        break;
    default:
        $result = 'No match';
}

echo $result; // Output: Matched as number 2
match with Strict Comparison (===)
$value = '2';

$result = match ($value) {
    2 => 'Matched as number 2', // This will NOT match because `match` uses strict comparison
    default => 'No match',
};

echo $result; // Output: No match
⚠️ Key Difference
  • switch matches '2' with 2 because it uses == (loose comparison).
  • match does NOT match '2' with 2 because it uses === (strict comparison).
Example 3: Multiple Assignments in switch vs. match

If multiple variables need to be assigned in each case, switch is usually the better choice.

switch with Multiple Assignments
$url = 'https://uat.net';

switch ($url) {
    case 'https://uat.net':
        $accesskeyid = 'url';
        $another_variable = 'value1';
        break;
    case 'https://prod.net':
        $accesskeyid = 'prod';
        $another_variable = 'value2';
        break;
    default:
        $accesskeyid = 'test';
        $another_variable = 'value3';
        break;
}

echo $accesskeyid; // Output: url
echo $another_variable; // Output: value1
Alternative Approach Using match

Since match does not support multiple statements directly, a workaround is required:

# Option 1: Returning an Array
$config = match ($url) {
    'https://uat.net' => ['accesskeyid' => 'url', 'another_variable' => 'value1'],
    'https://prod.net' => ['accesskeyid' => 'prod', 'another_variable' => 'value2'],
    default => ['accesskeyid' => 'test', 'another_variable' => 'value3'],
};

$accesskeyid = $config['accesskeyid'];
$another_variable = $config['another_variable'];

echo $accesskeyid; // Output: url
echo $another_variable; // Output: value1
Option 2: Using a Function
function getConfig($url) {
    return match ($url) {
        'https://uat.net' => ['url', 'value1'],
        'https://prod.net' => ['prod', 'value2'],
        default => ['test', 'value3'],
    };
}

[$accesskeyid, $another_variable] = getConfig($url);

echo $accesskeyid; // Output: url
echo $another_variable; // Output: value1

When to Use switch vs. match

Feature switch match
Strict comparison (===) ❌ No ✅ Yes
Returns a value ❌ No ✅ Yes
Requires break ✅ Yes ❌ No
Multiple Statements Per Case ✅ Yes ❌ No (Workaround needed)
Concise Syntax ❌ No ✅ Yes
Summary
Use match when:
  • You want a concise syntax.
  • You need strict comparison (===).
  • You only need to return a single value per case.
Use switch when:
  • You need loose comparison (==).
  • You need to execute multiple statements per case.
  • You are using complex logic inside each case.