Using case expressions, you can define alternative flows in your queries. It is similar to case or cond you might know from many other functional programming languages.

The syntax looks like this:

case {
  pipeline1
| ... ;
  pipeline2
| ... ;
  pipeline3
| ... ;
  *
| ...
}

Each clause in the pipeline is terminated by a semicolon. For each clause within the case statement, the pipeline is run individually as if the expression were executed within LogScale as a typical query. If the expressions return events, the clause is considered to have matched.

Typically, each clause takes the form of one or more test expressions followed by one or more results. For example, a single test and result:

src="client-side"
| type:="client"

The first expression tests for a field value, the second creates a new field.

OR for a multiple expression test:

src="client-side"
| ip != "127.0.0.1" 
| type:="local"

In this example we are testing both the field src and ip.

The pipeline is considered to have matched if the pipeline returns events. If the test returns true and a value is set, then the clause has matched. If no clauses match, then events are dropped.

You can add a wildcard or default clause that will be used if no other clauses match by using an asterisk in the pipeline:

case { ... ;
*
| DEFAULT }

The default matches all events in the "default case", performing similar to the else part of an if-statement. If you do not add a wildcard clause, any events that do not match any of the explicit clauses will be dropped.

time=*
| case { 
  src="client-side"
| type := "client";
  src="frontend-server"
| ip != 192.168.1.1
| type := "frontend";
*
| type := "server"
}
| groupBy(type, function=percentile(time))

case { client = "::1"
| local := "true";
       client = "127.0.0.1"
| local := "true";
       *
| local := "false"}

case { client = "::1"
| local := "true";
       client = "127.0.0.1"
| local := "true";
       * }

Event_SimpleName match{
/.*Network.*/ => network_tag := "Network";
* => new_tag := "Other"}

If you you looking for the match() function, see match()

Using match expressions, you can describe alternative flows in your queries where the conditions all check the same field. It is similar to the switch operation you might recognize from many other programming languages. The matches on the field support the filters listed in Field Filters and in Regular Expression Filters.

The syntax looks like this:

field match {
  value => expression
| expression... ;
  /regex/ => expression
| ...;
  * => expression
| ...
}

You write a sequence of filter and pipeline clauses to run when the filter matches, separated by a semicolon (;). LogScale will apply each clause from top to bottom until one returns a value (matches the input).

You can use some functions as selectors (in addition to string patterns). More specifically, those functions which test a single field (and do not transform the event).

You can add a wildcard clause match { ... ; * => * } which matches all events as the "default case", essentially the else part of an if- statement. If you do not add a wildcard clause, then any events that do not match any of the explicit clauses will be dropped. You cannot use the empty clause — you must explicitly write * to match all.

As opposed to how a regular field test would work — where x=* checks for existence and x=true checks that x matches the string true — in the match (for case expressions) the guards * and true are equivalent and matches everything.

Because * no longer has the same meaning as in field tests, x match { ** => *} and x match { * => *} are not equivalent since the first checks for existence and the latter accepts everything.

This also means that "*" and * are not equivalent either, and "*" and "**" are equivalent.

Since, as in case expressions, the guards * and true match anything, the existence of a field can be checked using a quote glob "*" or two consecutive globs **.

The syntax looks like this:

field match {
  value => expression
| expression... ;
  /regex/ => expression
| ...;
  in(values=[1, 2, 3]) => expression
| ...; // match if in(field=field, values=[1, 2, 3]) does
  "*" => expression
| ...; // match if the field exists
  * => expression
| ... // match all events
}

match expressions accept any "pure" Filtering Query Functions (filter functions that do not mutate) that has a field parameter, for example:

x match { in(values=[5, 56, 567]) => *;}

logtype match {
    "accesslog" => time:=response_time ;     // Access log is in seconds.
    /server_\d+/ => time:=server_time*1000 ; // These servers log in millis
  }
| groupBy(logtype, function=percentile(time))

errortime := if((@ingesttimestamp > @timestamp), then=@timestamp, else=@ingesttimestamp) / 1000