Conditional Execution

Python for Informatics: Exploring Information

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reachus@cloudxlab.com
 x=5
Conditional Steps
Yes
X < 10 ? Program:

No print ('Smaller') x=5 Output:

if x < 10:
print ('Smaller’) Smaller
Yes
X > 20 ? Finis
if x > 20:
No print ('Bigger') print ('Bigger')

print ('Finis') print ('Finis')

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 Comparison Operators
• Boolean expressions ask a
question and produce a Yes or Python Meaning
No result which we use to < Less than
control program flow <= Less than or Equal
== Equal to
• Boolean expressions using
>= Greater than or Equal
comparison operators evaluate
to - True / False - Yes / No > Greater than
!= Not equal
• Comparison operators look at
variables but do not change the Remember: “=” is used for assignment.
variables
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Boole
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 Comparison Operators
x = 5
if x == 5 :
print ('Equals 5')
if x > 4 : Equals 5
print ('Greater than 4')
if x >= 5 : Greater than 4
print ('Greater than or Equals 5') Greater than or Equals 5
if x < 6 : Less than 6
print ('Less than 6')
if x <= 5 : Less than or Equals 5
print ('Less than or Equals 5') Not equal 6
if x != 6 :
print ('Not equal 6')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 One-Way Decisions
Yes
x = 5 X == 5 ?
print ('Before 5')
Before 5
if x == 5 :
Is 5 No print ('Is 5')
print ('Is 5')
print ('Is Still 5') Is Still 5
print ('Third 5') Third 5 print ('Still 5')
print ('Afterwards 5’) Afterwards 5
print ('Before 6’) Before 6 print ('Third 5')
if x == 6 : Afterwards
print ('Is 6') 6
print ('Is Still 6')
print ('Third 6')
print ('Afterwards 6')
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 Indentation
• Increase indent indent after an if statement or for statement (after : )

• Maintain indent to indicate the scope of the block (which lines are affected
by the if/for)

• Reduce indent back to the level of the if statement or for statement to

indicate the end of the block

• Blank lines are ignored - they do not affect indentation

• Comments on a line by themselves are ignored with regard to indentation

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 Warning: Turn Off Tabs!!
• Most text editors can turn tabs into spaces - make sure to enable this feature

> NotePad++: Settings -> Preferences -> Language Menu/Tab Settings

> TextWrangler: TextWrangler -> Preferences -> Editor Defaults

• Python cares a *lot* about how far a line is indented. If you mix tabs and
spaces, you may get “indentation errors” even if everything looks fine

Please do this now while you are thinking about it so we can all stay sane...
reachus@cloudxlab.com
This will save you
much unnecessary
pain.

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increase / maintain after if or for
decrease to indicate end of block

x = 5
if x > 2 :
print ('Bigger than 2')
print ('Still bigger')
print ('Done with 2')

for i in range(5) :
print (i)
if i > 2 :
print ('Bigger than 2')
print ('Done with i', i)
print ('All Done')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
Think about begin/end blocks
x = 5
if x > 2 :
print ('Bigger than 2')
print ('Still bigger')
print ('Done with 2')

for i in range(5) :
print (i)
if i > 2 :
print ('Bigger than 2')
print ('Done with i', i)
print ('All Done')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 yes
Nested x>1

Decisions no print ('More than one')

x = 42
if x > 1 : yes
x < 100
print ('More than one')
if x < 100 :
print ('Less than 100') no
print ('Less than 100')
print ('All done')

print ('All Done')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 Two-way
Decisions X=4

• Sometimes we want to no yes

do one thing if a logical x>2
expression is true and
something else if the
print ('Not bigger') print ('Bigger')
expression is false

• It is like a fork in the

road - we must choose
one or the other path print ('All Done')
but not both

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 Two-way
x=4
using else :
no yes
x>2
x = 4

if x > 2 : print ('Smaller') print ('Bigger')

print ('Bigger')
else :
print ('Smaller')

print ('All done')

print ('All Done')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 Two-way
x=4
using else :
no yes
x = 4 x>2

if x > 2 :
print ('Smaller') print ('Bigger')
print ('Bigger')
else :
print ('Smaller')

print ('All done')

print ('All Done')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
Multi-way
yes
x<2 print ('small')

no
if x < 2 :
yes
print ('small')
elif x < 10 :
x < 10 print ('Medium')
print ('Medium') no
else :
print ('LARGE') print ('LARGE')
print ('All done')

print ('All Done')

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Multi-way x=0

yes
x<2 print ('small')
x = 0 no
if x < 2 :
yes
print ('small')
elif x < 10 :
x < 10 print ('Medium')
print ('Medium') no
else :
print ('LARGE') print ('LARGE')
print ('All done')

print ('All Done')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
Multi-way x=5

yes
x<2 print ('small')
x = 5 no
if x < 2 :
yes
print ('small')
elif x < 10 : x < 10 print ('Medium')
print ('Medium') no
else :
print ('LARGE') print ('LARGE')
print ('All done')

print ('All Done')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
Multi-way x = 20

yes
x<2 print ('small')

x = 20 no
if x < 2 : yes
print ('small') x < 10 print ('Medium')
elif x < 10 :
no
print ('Medium')
else :
print ('LARGE') print ('LARGE')
print ('All done')

print ('All Done')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
Multi-way
if x < 2 :
print ('Small')
# No Else elif x < 10 :
x = 5 print ('Medium')
if x < 2 : elif x < 20 :
print ('Small') print ('Big')
elif x < 10 : elif x < 40 :
print ('Medium') print ('Large')
elif x < 100:
print ('All done') print ('Huge')
else :
print ('Ginormous')

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 Multi-way Puzzles
Which will never print?
if x < 2 :
print ('Below 2')
if x < 2 : elif x < 20 :
print ('Below 2') print ('Below 20')
elif x >= 2 : elif x < 10 :
print ('Two or more') print ('Below 10')
else : else :
print ('Something else') print ('Something else')

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 The try / except Structure

• You surround a dangerous section of code with try and except

• If the code in the try works - the except is skipped
• If the code in the try fails - it jumps to the except section

reachus@cloudxlab.com
$ cat notry.py
astr = 'Hello Bob' $ python notry.py
istr = int(astr) Traceback (most recent call last):
print ('First', istr) File "notry.py", line 2, in <module>
astr = '123' istr = int(astr)ValueError: invalid literal
istr = int(astr)
for int() with base 10: 'Hello Bob'
print ('Second', istr)

All
Done

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 $ cat notry.py
astr = 'Hello Bob' $ python notry.py
istr = int(astr) Traceback (most recent call last):
print 'First', istr File "notry.py", line 2, in <module>
The astr = '123’ istr = int(astr)ValueError: invalid literal
program istr = int(astr)
for int() with base 10: 'Hello Bob'
stops print 'Second', istr
here
All
Done

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 Generic
Software Computer
Input
Central
Devices
Processing
Unit
Secondary
Memory

Output Main
Devices Memory

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$ cat tryexcept.py
When the first conversion fails - it
astr = 'Hello Bob'
just drops into the except: clause
try:
and the program continues.
istr = int(astr)
except:
istr = -1
$ python tryexcept.py
print ('First', istr)
First -1
Second 123
astr = '123'
try:
istr = int(astr)
except: When the second conversion
istr = -1 succeeds - it just skips the except:
clause and the program continues.
print ('Second', istr)

reachus@cloudxlab.com
try / except astr = 'Bob'

print ('Hello')

astr = 'Bob'
try: istr = int(astr)
print ('Hello')
istr = int(astr)
print ('There') print ('There')
except:
istr = -1
istr = -1
print ('Done', istr)
print ('Done', istr) Safety net

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 Sample try / except
rawstr = input('Enter a number:')
try:
ival = int(rawstr)
except: $ python trynum.py
ival = -1 Enter a number:42
Nice work
if ival > 0 : $ python trynum.py
print ('Nice work') Enter a number:forty-two
else: Not a number
print ('Not a number') $

reachus@cloudxlab.com
Exercise

Rewrite your pay computation to give the employee

1.5 times the hourly rate for hours worked above 40
hours.

Enter Hours: 45
Enter Rate: 10
Pay: 475.0

475 = 40 * 10 + 5 * 15

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Exercise

Rewrite your pay program using try and except so

that your program handles non-numeric input
gracefully.

Enter Hours: 20
Enter Rate: nine
Error, please enter numeric input

Enter Hours: forty

Error, please enter numeric input

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 Summary
• Comparison operators • Nested Decisions
== <= >= > < ! =
• Multi-way decisions using
• Logical operators: and or not elif
• Indentation • try / except to compensate
for errors
• One-way Decisions
• Short circuit evaluations
• Two-way decisions:
if: and else:

reachus@cloudxlab.com
 Acknowledgements / Contributions
These slides are Copyright 2010- Charles R. Severance
...
(www.dr-chuck.com) of the University of Michigan School of
Information and open.umich.edu and made available under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Please maintain this
last slide in all copies of the document to comply with the
attribution requirements of the license. If you make a change,
feel free to add your name and organization to the list of
contributors on this page as you republish the materials.

Initial Development: Charles Severance, University of Michigan

School of Information

… Insert new Contributors and Translators here