Revision history for Switch-Declare

0.04    2026-06-14
        - New patterns:
          * `case FOO`             - a bareword naming an inlinable `use constant`
            folds to its value at compile time and is classified like the literal
            it holds (numeric -> ==, string -> eq; dispatch-eligible). Zero runtime
            cost. Package-qualified constants (`Pkg::FOO`) are supported.
          * `case == $x` / `case eq $x` - compare the topic against a runtime
            scalar variable, naming the operator as in Perl itself: `==` is
            numeric (looks_like_number-guarded on both sides), `eq` is string.
            The operand is a plain scalar ($name or $Pkg::name), including `our`
            and package globals. Both are undef/type-safe and warning-free.
          * `case =~ $rx` - match the topic against a runtime pattern (a qr// or
            a string) held in a scalar, complementing the compile-time /literal/
            form. Undef-safe and warning-free. As a runtime membership test it
            does not set capture variables ($1, @+); for captures use a predicate
            arm, `case sub { $_[0] =~ $rx }`.

0.03    2026-06-14
        - New patterns:
          * `case undef`           - matches an undefined topic.
          * `case ref(TYPE)` / `ref`     - ref($topic) [eq "TYPE"]; bare = any ref.
          * `case reftype(TYPE)` / `reftype` - underlying type, through blessing.
          * `case isa(Class)`      - blessed object derived from Class (fast @ISA).
        - Undef/type safety: every pattern is now warning-free. An undef topic
          matches only `case undef` (else falls to default) instead of warning
          and mis-matching `case 0`/`case ""`. Numeric patterns are guarded by
          looks_like_number, so a non-numeric topic neither warns ("Argument
          isn't numeric") nor mis-matches (`"one" == 0` was true; now it is not).
        - The numeric guard is computed once per switch (hoisted), so numeric
          switches run on par with an equivalently type-safe hand-written chain.

0.02    2026-06-13
        - Fix load failure on perl 5.14-5.20.

0.01    2026-06-12
        First release.
        - `switch (EXPR) { case PAT { ... } ... default { ... } }` as a real
          lexical pragma, recognised only within `use Switch::Declare` scope.
        - Compile-time keyword plugin; the construct lowers to a native
          conditional expression. No source filter, no smartmatch, no CPAN
          dependencies (core perl 5.14+ only).
        - Pattern kinds: number (==), string (eq), regex /.../imsx, range
          [LO..HI], list [a,b,c] membership, and predicates - either \&name
          (also package-qualified, \&Pkg::name) or an inline sub { ... } that
          closes over the enclosing lexicals. Each lowers to native ops (regex
          compiles to a real OP_MATCH at compile time); there are no runtime
          helper subs.
        - Statement and expression (value-returning) forms; usable infix.
        - Scrutinee evaluated exactly once; first matching case wins; optional
          trailing default.
        - Fast path: a plain variable/constant scrutinee with single-expression
          arms compiles to exactly a hand-written if/elsif chain (0-2% in the
          bundled benchmark).
        - Dispatch mode: a string-keyed lookup table (>= 4 arms, constant
          values) compiles to a single O(1) hash lookup against a compile-time
          hash - ~2.5x faster than the if/elsif chain at 20 arms. Chosen
          automatically; never changes behaviour.