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Why does using loop-only functions in a def section not work, even when in a loop?

I am making a small text-based game in Python. It involves many inputs and so to avoid bugs, there are a few things I have to check every time an input exists. Naturally, to speed up the process I wanted to put the code into a def in order to simplify the writing process. When I put the code in the def, it red underlines the continue and break commands (meaning they are incorrect), and if you run the code using the def name, a Traceback occurs. I have tried putting the def section at the beginning of the program, after the while True: (The program is supposed to run infinitely until a certain action is taken that breaks the loop) I have also made sure to try putting it under any variables referenced and in the loop so that no part of it is not defined and so that everything would work if I were to just put the code in there.
Here is the code I am trying to put into a def.
def input_bugs():
if letter_one.lower() == "done" and total_count == 0:
print("You have to play at least one game!")
continue
elif letter_one.lower() == "done":
break
elif len(letter_one) > 1:
print("Sorry, you gotta pick a single letter, no more. Otherwise, type 'done' to end the game and see your stats.")
continue
Here is the Traceback I get every time I try to run it.
line 20
continue
^^^^^^^^
SyntaxError: 'continue' not properly in loop
At this point, I don't even care if I have to write it out every time, I can just copy and paste. I am simply curious as to why it doesn't work so that I know in the future. In case you could not tell, I am pretty new to programming so I want to learn from any mistake I make. Also sorry if I referred to some things in the wrong way. Hopefully, you understood what I meant.

Can't call a subroutine when within a subroutine, if and for loop. Have I done something wrong here?

So here's my code.
def bubblesort(list):
global step
global oldlist
print("""
ORIGINAL LIST""")
print(list)
for i in range(len(list)):
for j in range(len(list)-1):
if float(list[j])>float(list[j+1]):
list[j], list[j+1] = list[j+1], list[j]
if oldlist==list:
**end(list)**
else:
oldlist=list
step=step+1
print("""
STEP""",step)
print(list)
end(list)
def end(list):
global step
step=step+1
print("""
STEP""",step)
print(list)
step=0
oldlist=[]
list=[]
number=int(input("How many numbers do you want to input to sort? : "))
for i in range(1,number+1):
value=float(input("INPUT NUMBER : "))
list.append(value)
bubblesort(list)
The issue is the bit of code which I have is "end(list)" bare in mind I've included the ** to make it easier to see on here it's not actually in the code. It simply won't call the subroutine when I ask it to. I know it definitely runs through the if since if i put a "print" or "break" in they both work it just won't jump to a sub-routine. Furthermore, the time I call that subroutine later on in the code works and does go to the subroutine. So i'm a bit lost as to what I've done wrong here. Any help? Would be much appreciated :)

There are quite a few things wrong with your code, and your question. Let's go through them:
First of all, the formatting was not great (I've suggested an edit). This might not sound like a big deal ("Hey, as long as it works...") but it's actually crucial: I work with python every day, and I had trouble understanding your code
You're talking about subroutines. In python, we usually refer to those as functions, or methods.
You're using globals variables all over the place. This might work in little toy examples like this one, but it will fall apart VERY fast
As David Buck said, list is one of the basic data structures: 1 in an instance of int and [1,2,3] is an instance of list). It's a really bad idea to override it.
I'm not sure what you're trying to do with the end() function. It seems do very little, and what it does is not related to its name...
You create an oldlist list but never really do anything with it. What is it supposed to to ?
With that in mind, here is my proposition:
def main():
# I like to put the main code in a "main" function, so that it can be at the top
# of the file. We'll call main() from the bottom of the file
# Make our program pretty, with a little branding
print("===== Number Sorter 9000 =====")
# 'numbers' is not the name of anything yet, so we can use it safely
numbers = []
# This will loop forever, unless we tell it to stop. It allows us to skip the
# part where you ask the user for a number of values: Simply enter the values
# one by one, and press enter once last time when done.
while True:
value = input(f"Number {len(numbers)+1} (leave empty to continue): ")
# Decide what to do with the value we received. If it's a number,
# add it to our list, if it's empty, stop collecting numbers
if value:
# Make sure the value is a number ()
value = float(value)
# Add the number to the list
numbers.append(value)
else:
# This will get us out of the number-asking loop
break
print("Number Sorter 9000 will now sort your numbers")
sorted_numbers = bubblesort(numbers)
print("Number Sorter 9000 has sorted your numbers:")
print(sorted_numbers)
def bubblesort(numbers):
# Here I've removed things that were not doing much.
# There are some ways to improve the algorithm itself, but I'll let you do that
for i in range(len(numbers)):
for j in range(0, len(numbers)-i-1):
if numbers[j] > numbers[j+1]:
numbers[j], numbers[j+1] = numbers[j+1], numbers[j]
# We 'return' the result from the function, so that code that calls the
# bubblesort() function can use the result
return numbers
# Lastly, we call the "main" function to get everything started. Without this
# line, nothing happens: We've just explained to the computer how to do some
# stuff, but we haven't asked it to *DO* anything
main()
Well, I hope this was not too much information. I've tried to keep things simple, but feel free to ask if something is not clear

Error in looping so that a quiz's math query repeats itself

I have a piece of coding that is most basically a quiz. I had error handling so that if someone pressed a letter or anything other than a number, it would carry on with the quiz instead of letting the person attempt another question. (For example, if question 5 was 2+3 and they entered t, then it would carry on and not give them a different question for question 5).
I tried to update the coding, so it would loop:
def random_question():#defines function to get random question
count = 0#equates count to 0
for number in range (0,10):#makes the code generate the question 10 times
try:#the code makes it so the computer tries one thing and is the beggining
questionList = [random_sum,random_subtraction,random_times]#puts functions in a list to be called on
randomQuestion = random.choice(questionList)#calls on the list to generate the random questions
randomQuestion()#calls on variable
except ValueError:#if there is a value error or a type error it will notice it and try to stop it
print ("Please enter a number")#prints out the statement if there is a type error or a value error
else:
break
random_question()#calls on the function random_question
However, it comes up with a syntax error, and highlights the 'except' part next to the ValueError.
Any help as to why this is would be much appreciated.

Your except statement should have the same indention as your try statement. In your sample code it is indented an extra tab which would cause that error.
Python takes indention seriously and it is often the culprit. I'm unclear if your def line is a place holder or if this code is part of it, but if this code is part of the function definition you have other indention issues to worry about.
I'd suggest going through it carefully and making sure everything is lined up properly. The basic rule of thumb is, if something is part of something else, it is indented under it.
def something():
step 1
step 2
if (condition):
the true thing
else:
the false thing
while (something):
repeat something
this is not part of the function anymore

How to test while-loop (once) with nosetest (Python 2.7)

I'm pretty new to this whole "programming thing" but at age 34 I thought that I'd like to learn the basics.
I unfortunately don't know any python programmers. I'm learning programming due to personal interest (and more and more for the fun of it) but my "social habitat" is not "where the programmers roam" ;) .
I'm almost finished with Zed Shaws "Learn Python the Hard Way" and for the first time I can't figure out a solution to a problem. The last two days I didn't even stumble upon useful hints where to look when I repeatedly rephrased (and searched for) my question.
So stackoverflow seems to be the right place.
Btw.: I lack also the correct vocabular quite often so please don't hesitate to correct me :) . This may be one reason why I can't find an answer.
I use Python 2.7 and nosetests.
How far I solved the problem (I think) in the steps I solved it:
Function 1:
def inp_1():
s = raw_input(">>> ")
return s
All tests import the following to be able to do the things below:
from nose.tools import *
import sys
from StringIO import StringIO
from mock import *
import __builtin__
# and of course the module with the functions
Here is the test for inp_1:
import __builtin__
from mock import *
def test_inp_1():
__builtin__.raw_input = Mock(return_value="foo")
assert_equal(inp_1(), 'foo')
This function/test is ok.
Quite similar is the following function 2:
def inp_2():
s = raw_input(">>> ")
if s == '1':
return s
else:
print "wrong"
Test:
def test_inp_2():
__builtin__.raw_input = Mock(return_value="1")
assert_equal(inp_1(), '1')
__builtin__.raw_input = Mock(return_value="foo")
out = StringIO()
sys.stdout = out
inp_1()
output = out.getvalue().strip()
assert_equal(output, 'wrong')
This function/test is also ok.
Please don't assume that I really know what is happening "behind the scenes" when I use all the stuff above. I have some layman-explanations how this is all functioning and why I get the results I want but I also have the feeling that these explanations may not be entirely true. It wouldn't be the first time that how I think sth. works turns out to be different after I've learned more. Especially everything with "__" confuses me and I'm scared to use it since I don't really understand what's going on. Anyway, now I "just" want to add a while-loop to ask for input until it is correct:
def inp_3():
while True:
s = raw_input(">>> ")
if s == '1':
return s
else:
print "wrong"
The test for inp_3 I thought would be the same as for inp_2 . At least I am not getting error messages. But the output is the following:
$ nosetests
......
# <- Here I press ENTER to provoke a reaction
# Nothing is happening though.
^C # <- Keyboard interrupt (is this the correct word for it?)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 7 tests in 5.464s
OK
$
The other 7 tests are sth. else (and ok).
The test for inp_3 would be test nr. 8.
The time is just the times passed until I press CTRL-C.
I don't understand why I don't get error- or "test failed"-meassages but just an "ok".
So beside the fact that you may be able to point out bad syntax and other things that can be improved (I really would appreciate it, if you would do this), my question is:
How can I test and abort while-loops with nosetest?

So, the problem here is when you call inp_3 in test for second time, while mocking raw_input with Mock(return_value="foo"). Your inp_3 function runs infinite loop (while True) , and you're not interrupting it in any way except for if s == '1' condition. So with Mock(return_value="foo") that condition is never satisfied, and you loop keeps running until you interrupt it with outer means (Ctrl + C in your example). If it's intentional behavior, then How to limit execution time of a function call in Python will help you to limit execution time of inp_3 in test. However, in cases of input like in your example, developers often implement a limit to how many input attempts user have. You can do it with using variable to count attempts and when it reaches max, loop should be stopped.
def inp_3():
max_attempts = 5
attempts = 0
while True:
s = raw_input(">>> ")
attempts += 1 # this is equal to "attempts = attempts + 1"
if s == '1':
return s
else:
print "wrong"
if attempts == max_attempts:
print "Max attempts used, stopping."
break # this is used to stop loop execution
# and go to next instruction after loop block
print "Stopped."
Also, to learn python I can recommend book "Learning Python" by Mark Lutz. It greatly explains basics of python.
UPDATE:
I couldn't find a way to mock python's True (or a builtin.True) (and yea, that sounds a bit crazy), looks like python didn't (and won't) allow me to do this. However, to achieve exactly what you desire, to run infinite loop once, you can use a little hack.
Define a function to return True
def true_func():
return True
, use it in while loop
while true_func():
and then mock it in test with such logic:
def true_once():
yield True
yield False
class MockTrueFunc(object):
def __init__(self):
self.gen = true_once()
def __call__(self):
return self.gen.next()
Then in test:
true_func = MockTrueFunc()
With this your loop will run only once. However, this construction uses a few advanced python tricks, like generators, "__" methods etc. So use it carefully.
But anyway, generally infinite loops considered to be bad design solutions. Better to not getting used to it :).

It's always important to remind me that infinite loops are bad. So thank you for that and even more so for the short example how to make it better. I will do that whenever possible.
However, in the actual program the infinite loop is how I'd like to do it this time. The code here is just the simplified problem.
I very much appreciate your idea with the modified "true function". I never would have thought about that and thus I learned a new "method" how tackle programming problems :) .
It is still not the way I would like to do it this time, but this was the so important clue I needed to solve my problem with existing methods. I never would have thought about returning a different value the 2nd time I call the same method. It's so simple and brilliant it's astonishing me :).
The mock-module has some features that allows a different value to be returned each time the mocked method is called - side effect .
side_effect can also be set to […] an iterable.
[when] your mock is going to be
called several times, and you want each call to return a different
value. When you set side_effect to an iterable every call to the mock
returns the next value from the iterable:
The while-loop HAS an "exit" (is this the correct term for it?). It just needs the '1' as input. I will use this to exit the loop.
def test_inp_3():
# Test if input is correct
__builtin__.raw_input = Mock(return_value="1")
assert_equal(inp_1(), '1')
# Test if output is correct if input is correct two times.
# The third time the input is corrct to exit the loop.
__builtin__.raw_input = Mock(side_effect=['foo', 'bar', '1'])
out = StringIO()
sys.stdout = out
inp_3()
output = out.getvalue().strip()
# Make sure to compare as many times as the loop
# is "used".
assert_equal(output, 'wrong\nwrong')
Now the test runs and returns "ok" or an error e.g. if the first input already exits the loop.
Thank you very much again for the help. That made my day :)

Return continuous result from a single function call

I have got stuck with a problem.
It goes like this,
A function returns a single result normally. What I want is it to return continuous streams of result for a certain time frame(optional).
Is it feasible for a function to repeatedly return results for a single function call?
While browsing through the net I did come across gevent and threading. Will it work if so any heads up how to solve it?
I just need to call the function carry out the work and return results immediately after every task is completed.

Why you need this is not specified in the question, so it is hard to know what you need, but I will give you a general idea, and code too.
You could return in that way: return var1, var2, var3 (but that's not what you need I think)
You have multiple options: either blocking or non-blocking. Blocking means your code will no longer execute while you are calling the function. Non-blocking means that it will run in parallel. You should also know that you will definitely need to modify the code calling that function.
That's if you want it in a thread (non-blocking):
def your_function(callback):
# This is a function defined inside of it, just for convenience, it can be any function.
def what_it_is_doing(callback):
import time
total = 0
while True:
time.sleep(1)
total += 1
# Here it is a callback function, but if you are using a
# GUI application (not only) for example (wx, Qt, GTK, ...) they usually have
# events/signals, you should be using this system.
callback(time_spent=total)
import thread
thread.start_new_thread(what_it_is_doing, tuple(callback))
# The way you would use it:
def what_I_want_to_do_with_each_bit_of_result(time_spent):
print "Time is:", time_spent
your_function(what_I_want_to_do_with_each_bit_of_result)
# Continue your code normally
The other option (blocking) involves a special kind of functions generators which are technically treated as iterators. So you define it as a function and acts as an iterator. That's an example, using the same dummy function than the other one:
def my_generator():
import time
total = 0
while True:
time.sleep(1)
total += 1
yield total
# And here's how you use it:
# You need it to be in a loop !!
for time_spent in my_generator():
print "Time spent is:", time_spent
# Or, you could use it that way, and call .next() manually:
my_gen = my_generator()
# When you need something from it:
time_spent = my_gen.next()
Note that in the second example, the code would make no sense because it is not really called at 1 second intervals, because there's the other code running each time it yields something or .next is called, and that may take time. But I hope you got the point.
Again, it depends on what you are doing, if the app you are using has an "event" framework or similar you would need to use that, if you need it blocking/non-blocking, if time is important, how your calling code should manipulate the result...

Your gevent and threading are on the right track, because a function does what it is programmed to do, either accepting 1 var at a time or taking a set and returning either a set or a var. The function has to be called to return either result, and the continuous stream of processing is probably taking place already or else you are asking about a loop over a kernel pointer or something similar, which you are not, so ...
So, your calling code which encapsulates your function is important, the function, any function, eg, even a true/false boolean function only executes until it is done with its vars, so there muse be a calling function which listens indefinitely in your case. If it doesn't exist you should write one ;)
Calling code which encapsulates is certainly very important.
Folks aren't going to have enough info to help much, except in the super generic sense that we can tell you that you are or should be within in some framework's event loop, or other code's loop of some form already- and that is what you want to be listening to/ preparing data for.
I like "functional programming's," "map function," for this sort of thing. I think. I can't comment at my rep level or I would restrict my speculation to that. :)
To get a better answer from another person post some example code and reveal your API if possible.