[Tutor] isbetween function chapter 5 How to Think Like Computer Scientist

[Chad Crabtree]

Eri Mendz wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I'm a newbie trying to learn Python at my own pace. I work in sales

> NOT programming so please excuse me of obvious things i may
overlook 
> in the course of my self-teaching.
>
> Here is the code i made trying to solve the exercise mentioned in
the 
> subject of my email. I made it like so as i think pure if-elif-else

> statement is unwieldy. Of course its just me and pros here got 
> something to correct my statement:
>
> #!/usr/bin/env python
> # filename: isbetween.py
> # description: make function with 3 parameters & determine the
median
> # Author: Eri Mendz
> # Tue Oct 19 15:07:22 AST 2004
> # CYGWIN_NT-5.0
>
> def test1(x,y,z):
>   if x > y and x > z:       # x is highest
>     if y > z:               # z-y-x
>       print y, "is between", z, "and", x
>     else:                   # y-z-x
>       print z, "is between", y, "and", x
>
> def test2(x,y,z):
>   if y > x and y > z:       # y is highest
>     if x > z:               # z-x-y
>       print x, "is between", z, "and", y
>     else:
>       print z, "is between", x, "and", y
>
> def test3(x,y,z):
>   if z > x and z > y:       # z is highest
>     if x > y:               # y-x-z
>       print x, "is between", y, "and", z
>     else:
>       print y, "is between", x, "and", z
>
> def isbetween(x,y,z):
>   test1()
>   test2()
>   test3()
>
> # test isbetween()
> isbetween(23,10,56)
>
> I get:
> TypeError: test1() takes exactly 3 arguments (0 given)
>
> Dumb me i didnt supplied arguments as required. But do i really
have 
> to do that? I like the 3 functions to act as dummy functions (sort
of) 
> and let the real work happen inside isbetween(). Kindly enlighten
me 
> how to do it right.
>
I would rewrite isbetween() as thus

def isbetween(x,y,z):
    test1(x,y,z)
    test2(x,y,z)
    test3(x,y,z)

as far as I know there really is no way around it.  I thought up
another 
one just for the heck of it using lists and [].sort()

def isbetween(x,y,z):
    lst=[x,y,z]
    lst.sort()
    print lst[1], "is between" , lst[0],"and",lst[2]
   
isbetween(3,7,4)
4 is between 3 and 7

I put the values in a list then use [x,y,z].sort()  to put the items
in 
order then I print it out.  If you want to see how sort works better
go 
to the python command line and type help([]) or look at built-in
types 
on the library reference.  Just as a note [].sort() does it's job in 
place so it does not return the sorted list.

Happy Hacking.


		
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