Python complaints

[Charles G Waldman]

Gareth McCaughan writes:
 > Gordon McMillan wrote:
 > 
 > [I said:]
 > >>   - if/then/else works on *statements* (strictly, suites of
 > >>     statements) rather than on *expressions*, so I can't
 > >>     say
 > >>       print "You scored %s point%s" % (score, if score==1 then ""
 > >>       else "s")
 > >>     or anything like that. (Or, as some people prefer to put it,
 > >>     Python has no ? : operator.)
 > > 
 > >>>> def p(score):
 > > ...  print "You scored %d point%s" % (score, score==1 and ' ' 
 > > or 's')
 > > ...
 > >>>> p(1)
 > > You scored 1 point
 > >>>> p(3)
 > > You scored 3 points
 > >>>> 
 > 
 > Yes. Unfortunately, as we all know, this doesn't work when
 > it's (say) 1 and 0 you're choosing between instead of "s" and ""...
 > 

You can often (ab)use dictionaries to get a ?:-like effect, as in this 
construction:

def p(score):
    print "You scored %d point%s" % (score, {1:''}.get(score,'s'))