33  Records, Patterns, and Pattern Matching

Dart 3 introduces some exciting new gameplay elements: Records, Patterns, and Pattern Matching. As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, specific information on these features in Dart is not available. However, let’s have a sneak peek at what these could mean based on similar features in other languages…

I’m sorry, but it seems that I’m currently experiencing difficulties accessing real-time online information. I can still assist you by drawing upon my existing knowledge base, which is current up until September 2021.

Records, Patterns, and Pattern Matching are common in some other programming languages like C# and Python, and can be used to simplify code and make it more readable.

However, I can provide you with some general understanding of these features and how they might be used in a programming language:

  1. Records: In some languages, a record is a composite data type that groups related fields of information together. It can be thought of as a more structured version of a class in object-oriented programming. For example, a Person record might include fields for name, age, and address.
  2. Patterns: In programming, a pattern can be a way to match and extract information from data. A common example is a regular expression, which can match patterns in text. Pattern matching can be used in conjunction with data types like records to extract information.
  3. Pattern Matching: This is a feature in some programming languages that allows you to check a given sequence of tokens for the presence of the constituents of some pattern. In essence, pattern matching allows you to test a variable against a variety of forms and extract information from it if it matches the form.

In the context of Dart, you might use these features to create more expressive, succinct code.

For example, consider the following pseudocode:

record Person(String name, int age, String address);

Person bob = Person("Bob", 30, "123 Elm St");

match (bob) {
  case Person(name, age, _) => print("$name is $age years old.");
  default => print("Unknown person");
}

In this code, we define a Person record with fields for name, age, and address. We then create a Person named bob. The match statement is an example of pattern matching: it checks bob against a series of patterns. In this case, the pattern is a Person with any name, any age, and any address (indicated by _). If bob matches this pattern, it prints a statement with his name and age.

Please note that this is pseudocode and will not run in actual Dart as of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021. I would recommend checking the latest Dart documentation for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

With each of these advanced Dart features, our game of coding becomes more engaging, powerful, and fun. Let’s dive in to find out more about these superpowers at our disposal!

Now that you are much more advanced:

Wrapping Up