[Tutor] Suggestions for cleaner code

[Lloyd Kvam]

You might want to look at the cmd module for some aspects of what you
are doing.  readline and curses would probably only be useful on
unix systems.

Lundh's book "Python Standard Library" and Martelli's "Python in a Nutshell"
provide some pointers.

Matt Richardson wrote:
> Thanks for the suggestions, it's looking cleaner already.  I haven't
> implemented the dictionary yet, but I have incorporated some of the
> suggestions posted:
> 
> #!/sw/bin/python
> 
> print 'Choose one of the following: '
> print '1  Greeting'
> print '2  Discussion'
> print '3  Question'
> print '4  Farewell'
> 
> while True:
>     option = int(raw_input('Option: '))
>     if option == 1:
>         print 'Hello'
>     elif option == 2:
>         print 'I should have paid more attention in math classes.'
>     elif option == 3:
>         print 'Why did I sleep through class?'
>     elif option == 4:
>         print 'Farewell'
>         break
> 
> Got rid of the unnecessary 'loop' variable I was using and a level of if
> statements.  The tasks the options perform here are obviously trivial,
> but I have a real use for this type of program so getting it nice and
> clean is important to me.  I manage four computer labs on a part-time
> basis (budgets constraints make for strange job descriptions) and need
> to make a program that gives the user (instructor or other tech) a
> simple interface to run a more complex suite of imaging and updating
> programs.
> 
> thanks for the help,
> Matt
> 
> 
> On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 17:52, Jeff Shannon wrote:
> 
>>Kalle Svensson has given some good suggestions, and if you follow his 
>>dictionary hints then this bit of code becomes redundant, but I figured 
>>I'd point this out anyhow...
>>
>>
>>>   if (1 <= option <= 3):
>>>       if option == 1:
>>>           print 'Hello'
>>>       elif option == 2:
>>>           print 'I should have paid more attention in math classes.'
>>>       elif option == 3:
>>>           print 'Why did I sleep through class?'
>>>   else:
>>>       print 'Farewell'
>>>       loop = 1
>>>
>>
>>Here you are checking to see if option is between 1 and 3, and then 
>>checking which number it is.  You could do this just as well with a 
>>single level of if/elif, instead of two levels:
>>
>>    if option == 1:  [...]
>>    elif option == 2: [...]
>>    elif option == 3: [...]
>>    else:        [...]
>>
>>Also, as a minor point, one could argue that you're not being completely 
>>truthful to your users -- you claim that 4 will quit, but really 
>>*anything* except 1, 2, or 3 will quit.  Someone who accidentally hits a 
>>key other than 1-4 might be unhappy that the program exited rather than 
>>giving them another chance...  This can be solved by either limiting the 
>>quit to 4 and having any other input cause a new cycle through the loop 
>>(just change that last else into an elif), or by changing your message 
>>to inform users (instead of  '4 Farewell', say something like 'Any other 
>>key:  Farewell').
>>
>>Jeff Shannon
>>Technician/Programmer
>>Credit International
>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Tutor maillist  -  Tutor@python.org
>>http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
> 


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Lloyd Kvam
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