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Erlang / Syntax and Terms

Pattern matching

Learn Pattern matching in Erlang through a focused explanation, a dedicated topic-specific example, an engineering boundary, and a mastery check.

10 min read • Beginner

Pattern matching is a focused Erlang lesson inside Syntax and Terms. The example uses the construct named in the lesson directly rather than reusing a generic placeholder.

Trace the example from its inputs through Pattern matching and identify the behavior that would change if that construct were removed or replaced. Pay attention to the language-specific rules shown by the syntax, because neighboring lessons intentionally exercise different mechanisms.

Topic-specific example

erlang-0010-a3f0f1ca56.erl
erlang Try It Live 
-module(example).
-export([run/0]).
run() ->
    {ok, Value} = {ok, 42},
    io:format("~p~n", [Value]).
Edge case / engineering note

For Pattern matching, test one realistic boundary: empty data, invalid input, unavailable resources, lifetime/cleanup, type constraints, or concurrency timing where applicable. A successful happy path is not enough to prove the construct is used correctly.

Content source & attribution
Original Syntaxis Content · Original Syntaxis Content

Lesson quizzes

Pattern matching Mastery Check →
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Function clauses