Variablepatterns A variable pattern matches any object, just like a wildcard. Unlike a wildcard, Scala binds the variable to whatever the object is. You can then use this variable to act on the object further. For example, Listing 15.6 shows a pattern match that has a special case for zero, and a default case for all other values. The default case uses a variable pattern so that it has a name for the value, no matter what it is.

expr match { case 0 => “zero” case somethingElse => “not zero: “+ somethingElse }