Advise of programming one of my first programs

Anatoli Hristov tolidtm at gmail.com
Fri Mar 30 17:58:09 EDT 2012


>
>  **
>
> Absolutely! Too bad your version would be considered the more
> “complicated” version ;)
>
I`m sure about that, but I`am also sure that every beginner passed true
that way.

> ****
>
> ** **
>
> >With the main navigation menu I will only have the option to select a
> nickname and when a nickname is selected then it loads Details of the
> contact and from loaded details I can choice Edit or back to main screen,
> like I did it the first time, or else I can do it => when 'e' pressed to
> ask for a nickname and then edit it.
>
 **
>
> I was trying to simplify it to “guide” you to a more correct solution
> without feeding you the answer. Maybe I should have given you the
> explanation first to explain why you should be doing it a different way.**
> **
>
> ** **
>
> Going back to your original program (and your modifications to it), the
> original menu can cause crashing in more complicated programs and thus is
> considered a bad style. It was basically using recursion (I will touch on
> this later) but without any of the benefits. It was endlessly branching
> instead of a simple loop. Sort of like the following Menu/submenu example.
> ****
>
> ** **
>
> Menu****
>
>     submenu****
>
>          Menu****
>
>               submenu****
>
>                       Menu****
>
>                             __ad infinitum__****
>
> ** **
>
> How does this matter? Let’s look at some simpler code below.****
>
> ** **
>
> print ‘start’****
>
> function_a() # a function is called****
>
>     print ‘a’    # code inside the function****
>
>     print ‘b’    # code inside the function****
>
> a = ‘ something ‘****
>
> print a****
>
> function_b() # another function call****
>
>     print ‘c’     # code inside a different function****
>
>     print ‘d’     # code inside a different function****
>
> print ‘end’****
>
> ** **
>
> Let us pretend we are the computer who executes one line at a time and so
> basically goes through a list of commands. The list we are going to execute
> is the following:****
>
> ** **
>
> print ‘start’****
>
> function_a()****
>
> print ‘a’****
>
> print ‘b’****
>
> a = ‘ something ‘****
>
> print a****
>
> function_b()****
>
> print ‘c’****
>
> print ‘d’****
>
> print ‘end’****
>
> ** **
>
> How does the computer know to execute “a = ‘ something ‘” after “print
> ‘b’”? It does it by storing the location where it was before it proceeds to
> the function call. That way when the end of the function is reached it
> returns to the previous spot. In essence:****
>
> ** **
>
> print ‘start’****
>
> function_a()****
>
> __store this location so I can come back__****
>
> print ‘a’****
>
> print ‘b’****
>
> __return to previous location__****
>
> a = ‘ something ‘****
>
> print a****
>
> function_b()****
>
> __store this location so I can come back__****
>
> print ‘c’****
>
> print ‘b’****
>
> __return to previous location__****
>
> print ‘end’****
>
> ** **
>
> Now what happens if “function_a” calls “function_a”? By the way, the term
> for this type of call is recursion.****
>
> ** **
>
> print ‘start’****
>
> function_a()****
>
> __store this location so I can come back__****
>
>         print ‘a’****
>
>         print ‘b’****
>
>       function_a()****
>
>        __store this location so I can come back__****
>
>             print ‘a’****
>
>             print ‘b’****
>
>              function_a()****
>
>            __store this location so I can come back__****
>
>                 print ‘a’****
>
>                 print ‘b’****
>
>               function_a()****
>
>                __store this location so I can come back__****
>
>                     print ‘a’****
>
>                     print ‘b’****
>
>                   function_a()****
>
>                    __store this location so I can come back__****
>
>                        print ‘a’****
>
>                         print ‘b’****
>
>                       function_a()****
>
>                        __store this location so I can come back__****
>
>                             **until the program ends******
>
> ** **
>
> Now each __store__ action takes up memory and when the computer (or your
> program) runs out of memory your computer crashes. Your application is
> trivial and more likely to be ended by the user instead of going through
> the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands that Python will let you
> take, but it is a bad practice and a habit to avoid. A real world program
> would use more memory and quit even faster than yours. Recursion has its
> place in programming, but not in this case! What you need is a simple loop.
> That is why I provided you with the menu I did. ****
>
> ** **
>
> The following menu sounds like what you want; there were a couple
> different ways I could have done this.  In this version, if you type
> anything when asked for a menu choice that is not ‘e’ or ‘q’, the program
> will automatically ask you for the next book choice.****
>
> ** **
>
> def mmenu():****
>
>    # load tbook here****
>
>    while True:****
>
>        book = get_book_choice()****
>
>        details( tbook, book )****
>
>        choicem = get_menu_choice()****
>
>        if choicem == 'e' or choicem == 'E':****
>
>              edit( tbook, book )****
>
>              # save tbook here****
>
>        elif choicem =='Q' or choicem == 'q':****
>
>              break # end loop to exit program****
>
> ** I`m focusing on what you say and will try to follow your instructions
> for which - Thank you I really appreciate it...
>
Just before I read you mail I`ve finished my book ver. 12 with this code,
ver 13 will have all the modifications and all remarks I have from you:

import ast
fname = 0
lname = 1
country = 2
city = 3
tel = 4
notes = 5

## Read data from file

def load_book():
    load_book = open('c:/Python27/Toli/myfile.txt', 'r')
    load_book = ast.literal_eval(load_book.read())
    return load_book

## Write data to file

def write_book(tbook):
    write_book = open('c:/Python27/Toli/myfile.txt', 'w')
    write_book.write(repr(tbook))

## Menu choice input

def get_menu_choice():
choice = raw_input('input: ')
 return choice

## List data contacts

def listpb():
    tbook = load_book()
    print '_' *45, ' Phonebook ', '_' *45,'\n\n\n'
    print 'Nick\t\tF.Name\t\tL.Name\t\tCountry\t\t\tCity\t\tTel'
    print '_' * 105,'\n','\t' * 13
    for val in tbook.keys():
            print val, '\t\t', tbook[val][fname], '\t', tbook[val][lname],
'\t', tbook[val][country], '\t\t', tbook[val][city], '\t\t',
tbook[val][tel],'\t\t\n'
    print '_'*105,'\n\n\n\n'
    print 'Type nickname and press <Enter> or type <Q> to exit.\n\n\n'
    mmenu(tbook)

## Main menu

def mmenu(tbook):
    while True:
        choice = get_menu_choice()
        if choice in tbook:
            details(choice,tbook)
        elif choice == 'q' or choice == 'Q':
            break
        else:
            print 'Selection {0} not understood.'.format(choice)

## Details menu

def dmenu(choice, tbook):
    while True:
        choicem = get_menu_choice()
        if choicem == 'e' or choicem == 'E':
              edit(choice, tbook)
        elif choicem == 'b' or choicem == 'B':
             listpb()
        elif choicem =='Q' or choicem == 'q':
              break # end loop to exit program
        else:
              print 'Selection {0} not understood.'.format( choicem )



## Contact details

def details(choice, tbook):
    sb = tbook[choice]
    print 'Nickname: ', choice, ' is selected\n'
    print 'First name:\t', sb[fname], '\n'
    print 'Last name:\t', sb[lname], '\n'
    print 'Country:\t', sb[country], '\n'
    print 'City:\t\t', sb[city], '\n'
    print 'Phone number:\t',sb[tel], '\n'
    print 'Memos:\n'
    print sb[notes]
    print '\n\n(E)dit\n\n'
    print '(B)ack to phonebook list\n\n'
    dmenu(choice, tbook)


## Edit contact

def edit(choice, tbook):
    sb = tbook[choice]
    fn = raw_input('New name for ' + sb[fname] + ' : ')
    if fn == '':
        pass
    else:
        sb[fname] = fn
    ln = raw_input('New name for ' + sb[lname] + ' : ')
    if ln == '':
        pass
    else:
        sb[lname] = ln
    write_book(tbook)
    details(choice, tbook)

listpb()


> **
>
> ** **
>
> Ramit****
>
> ** **
>
> ** **
>
> Ramit Prasad | JPMorgan Chase Investment Bank | Currencies Technology****
>
> 712 Main Street | Houston, TX 77002****
>
> work phone: 713 - 216 - 5423****
>
> ** **
>
> --****
>
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> privilege, and legal entity disclaimers, available at
> http://www.jpmorgan.com/pages/disclosures/email.
>
> --
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>
>
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