Introduction to Python: if statements

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Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

Outline

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

Control structures change program execution

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NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

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NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

A Python if statement in action

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>>> x = 3
>>> if x == 3:
...
print 'x is equal to 3'
...
x is equal to 3
>>>

if keyword and colon

conditional expression x == 3

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

A block can contain one or more statements

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>>> x = 10
>>> if x > 3:
...
print 'x is bigger than 3'
...
if x > 6:
...
print 'x is also bigger than 6'
...
x is bigger than 3
x is also bigger than 6

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

The else clause is executed on False

if statements can have an else clause:
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>>> x = 4
>>> if x == 3:
...
print 'x is equal to 3'
... else:
...
print 'x is not equal to 3'
x is not equal to 3
>>>

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

Deeply nested ifs quickly becomes messy

If we want to consider more alternatives we must nest ifs:
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>>> if x < 3:
...
print "x is less than three"
... else:
...
if x == 3:
...
print "x is equal to three"
...
else:
...
print "x is greater than three"
...
>>>

This can get ugly once there are many alternatives

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

elif clauses avoid nested ifs

We can write the previous example more elegantly as:
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>>> if x < 3:
...
print "x is less than three"
... elif x == 3:
...
print "x is equal to three"
... else:
...
print "x is greater than three"
...
>>>

Each conditional expression is evaluated until one is True

The corresponding block is then executed
If none of the if or elif conditionals are True
the else block is run
NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

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Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

10

and and or
There are two additional keywords that are quite useful, and
and or.
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>>> if name == "David" or name == "Paul":

...
print "That's my brother's name!"

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

11

A Python while loop in action

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>>> i = 0
>>> while i < 3:
...
print i, 'is less than 3'
...
i += 1
...
0 is less than 3
1 is less than 3
2 is less than 3
>>>

A while loop starts with the keyword while

Remember, all Python control structures start with a keyword

Next is the conditional expression i < 3 and then a colon

Watch out for missing the colon!

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

11

A Python while loop in action

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>>> i = 0
>>> while i < 3:
...
print i, 'is less than 3'
...
i += 1
...
0 is less than 3
1 is less than 3
2 is less than 3
>>>

A conditional expression is either evaluates to True or False

Here the comparison operator < tests if i is less than 3

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

12

A while loop simply a repeating if statement

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>>> i = 0
>>> while i < 3:
...
print i, 'is less than 3'
...
i += 1
...
0 is less than 3
1 is less than 3
2 is less than 3
>>>

If the condition is True, run the loop body again

The body is indented just like the body in an if statement
The i += 1 statement is the same as i = i + 1
It adds one to the value in i each time it is run
NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

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Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

13

The body must change the condition!

If not, well never ever stop looping
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>>> i = 0
>>> while i < 3:
...
print i, 'is less than 3'
...
0 is less than 3
0 is less than 3
...

Weve removed the i += 1, so the condition doesnt change

This is called an infinite loop
You can interrupt an infinite loop by pressing Ctrl-C

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

14

General pattern for making while loops

Your while loops will (usually) do the following:
1 Setup the loop variable(s) (the initialisation)
2 Test whether to continue running loop (the condition)
3 Run the body if the condition is true (the body)
4 Update the loop variable (the update)
You should check each time to make sure theyre all there!

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

15

Weve seen looping over a list of numbers

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>>> i = 1
>>> while i < 12:
...
print i, 'times 5 =', i*5
...
i += 1
...
1 times 5 = 5
2 times 5 = 10
...
>>>

i is the loop variable and is initialised to 1

i < 12 is the condition
print i, 'times = 5', i*5 is the body
i += 1 is the update step
NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

16

We can also loop over user input

use raw_input inside the loop as the update:
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>>> number = int(raw_input('Enter a number? '))

>>> while number != 73:
...
print 'Wrong! try again.'
...
number = int(raw_input('Enter a number? '))
...
>>>

The raw_input lines are both initialiser and update

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

Girls Programming Network

Control Structures

if statements

while loops

Practice!

17

Now put this into practice!

You should now be able to write Python if/elif/else
statements and use while loops!
Now you can do the NCSS Challenge checkpoint questions on

if statements and, when you get up to it later, the checkpoint

on while loops!

NCSS Workshop

Introductory Python

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