Elixir Engine

Functions

Elixir Pattern Matching

Pattern Matching in Functions

Elixir pattern matching uses = to destructure data in functions.

Introduction to Pattern Matching in Elixir

Pattern matching is a powerful feature in Elixir that allows you to match data structures against patterns, effectively destructuring data. Unlike traditional variable assignment, the left-hand side of the = operator is a pattern that tries to match the right-hand side data.

Basic Pattern Matching

In Elixir, the = operator is used for pattern matching. It doesn't just assign values to variables; it tries to match the left-hand side pattern with the right-hand side data.

Pattern Matching with Lists

Elixir allows pattern matching with lists. You can destructure lists into their head and tail components. The head is the first element of the list, and the tail is a list of the remaining elements.

Pattern Matching with Tuples

Pattern matching also works with tuples. Each element of the tuple on the left must match the corresponding element of the tuple on the right.

Pin Operator in Pattern Matching

The pin operator ^ is used when you want to pattern match using the existing value of a variable rather than rebind it.

Using Pattern Matching in Function Definitions

Pattern matching can be utilized in function definitions to destructure arguments directly. This is particularly useful for function clauses.

In this example, the function greet/1 uses pattern matching to destructure a tuple containing a first and last name, illustrating how pattern matching can simplify function definitions and enhance their readability.

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