python / python/cpython

Specialize syntax error for non-`case` statement inside `match` statement

Open
#146,582 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

interpreter-core topic-parser type-feature
Dominant language
Python
Stars
77.2k
Forks
35.9k
PR merge metrics
PR metrics pending

Description

Feature or enhancement

Proposal:

Right now using a non-case statement inside a match block gives a rather opaque syntax error:

match a:
    case 1:
        pass
    if 2:
        pass

gives:

  File "<python-input-0>", line 4
    if 2:
    ^^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

It's easy to accidentally write something like this when dedenting code too much inside a case block or when not dedenting code enough after the match block.

I propose a specialized syntax error that more clearly points out what the problem is:

SyntaxError: expected 'case' statement inside 'match' statement

PR forthcoming

cc @pablogsal @lysnikolaou

Has this already been discussed elsewhere?

This is a minor feature, which does not need previous discussion elsewhere

Links to previous discussion of this feature:

No response

Linked PRs
  • gh-146583

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the issue with the shown match statement and review linked PR gh-146583 for the current implementation direction. Done means that a non-case statement inside a match block produces the proposed specialized SyntaxError message instead of the generic invalid syntax error.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
25/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.