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Python Programming: Loops

--- ## Learning Objectives _After this lesson, you will be able to:_ - Use a `for` loop to iterate a list. - Use `range()` to dynamically generate loops. - Use a `while` loop to control program flow. - Use `break` to exit a loop. --- ## Discussion: A Small List This situation isn't so bad: ```python visible_colors = ["red", "orange", "yellow", "green", "blue", "violet"] print(visible_colors[0]) print(visible_colors[1]) print(visible_colors[2]) print(visible_colors[3]) print(visible_colors[4]) print(visible_colors[5]) ``` But what would we do if there were 1,000 items in the list to print? --- ## The `for` Loop The `for` loop always follows this form: ```python for item in collection: # Do something with item ``` For example: ```python visible_colors = ["red", "orange", "yellow", "green", "blue", "violet"] for each_color in visible_colors: print(each_color) ```

**Teaching Tips**: - Go over the syntax. Point out the indentation - point out that it's like the `if` statement they learned. **Talking Points**: - "We need what is called a `Loop`." - "A common and extremely useful type of loop is the `for` loop. `for` loops appear in several computer programming languages and get their name from the fact that they loop (or iterate) **for** a specific number of times: once **for** each item in a list." This code: - Creates a new list containing some name strings. - Begins the `for` loop. We loop once for each "name" in the list (`names`). - Prints the current name inside the loop." * "The `for` loop is perfect for when you have a specific collection of items — each of which must be processed once — or for when you know that you must execute a set of instructions a specific number of times. Those are the use cases for which it was designed." * "This is our template. When we write a `for` loop we do the following: - We replace `item` with a meaningful name for the items in the collection. - We use this name as the name of the item within our loop. - We replace `collection` with the name of our list (or other collection). - Indented inside the loop, we write the code to be run for each item. - Python will start with the first item and automatically stop after it loops with the last item."

--- ## Knowledge Check: What will this code do? Think about what the code will do before you actually run it. --- ## We Do: Writing a Loop Let's write a loop to print names of guests. First, we need a list. - Create a local `.py` file named `my_loop.py`. - Make your list: Declare a variable `my_list` and assign it to a list containing the names of at least five people. --- ## We Do: Write a Loop - Making the Loop Now, we'll add the loop. - Skip a line and write the first line of your `for` loop. - For the variable that holds each item, give it a name that reflects what the item is (e.g. `name` or `person`). - Inside your loop, add the code to print `"Hello,"` plus the name. ``` "Hello, Felicia!" "Hello, Srinivas!" ``` --- ## We Do: Write a loop to greet people on your guest list Our guests are definitely VIPs! Let's give them a lavish two-line greeting. - Inside your loop, add the code to print another sentence of greeting: ``` "Hello, Srinivas!" "Welcome to the party!" ``` --- ## Discussion: Where Else Could We Use a Loop? A loop prints everything in a collection of items. - `guest_list = ["Fred", "Cho", "Brandi", "Yuna", "Nanda", "Denise"]` What, besides a list, could we use a loop on? _Hint: There are six on this slide!_ --- ## Looping Strings Loops are collections of strings and numbers. Strings are collections of characters! --- ## What about...Looping For a Specific Number of Iterations? We have: ```python guest_list = ["Fred", "Cho", "Brandi", "Yuna", "Nanda", "Denise"] for guest in guest_list: print("Hello, " + guest + "!") ``` The loop runs for every item in the list - the length of the collection. Here, it runs 6 times. What if we don't know how long `guest_list` will be? Or only want to loop some of it? ## Enter: Range `range(x)`: - Automatically generated. - A list that contains only integers. - Starts at zero. - Stops before the number you input. ```python range(5) # => [0, 1, 2, 3, 4] ``` --- ## Looping Over a Range Let's look at `range` in action: --- ## The While Loop What about "While the bread isn't brown, keep cooking"? Python provides two loop types. `for`: - You just learned! - Loops over collections a finite number of times. `while`: - You're about to learn! - When your loop could run an indeterminate number of times. - Checks if something is `True` _(the bread isn't brown yet)_ and runs until it's set to `False` _(now the bread is brown, so stop)_. --- ## While Loop Syntax ```python # While is true: # Run some code # If you're done, set the to false # Otherwise, repeat. a = 0 while a < 10: print(a) a += 1 ``` ![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/While-loop-diagram.svg)

**Teaching Tips**: - Call out that it won't print 10. - Call out the indents! **Talking Points**: - "We won't always have the luxury of a collection of discrete data items for controlling our loop. Frequently, we will need to write a loop that will run an unknown number of times. This is what the `while` loop is for. It's another loop construct that will continue to iterate **while a given condition is true**. These loops are quite useful for data sets of unknown sizes, or for when we need to loop until some value changes." - "Outside of our `while` loop, we create the variable `a`, which we'll use as our conditional. We then start our loop. We say to loop "while `a` is less than 10." Then, in the loop, we print `a` and add one to its value. Once the value of `a` reaches 10, the loop condition evaluates to false and the loop finishes."

--- ## While Loop: Be Careful! Don't _ever_ do: ```python a = 0 while a < 10: print(a) ``` And don't ever do: ```python a = 0 while a < 10: print(a) a += 1 ``` Your program will run forever! If your program ever doesn't leave a loop, hit `control-c`. --- ## We Do: Filling a Glass of Water Create a new local file, `practicing_while.py`. In it, we'll create: - A variable for our current glass content. - Another variable for the total capacity of the glass. Let's start with this: ```python glass = 0 glass_capacity = 12 ``` Can you start the `while` loop?

**Teaching Tips**: - Make sure they're typing this with you and not just copying and pasting the code. - Before you go to the next slide (adding the loop), see if they can guess the syntax. **Talking Points**: - "Can you think of the mental process you follow when pouring water into a glass? You start with an empty glass and begin adding water to it, right? While you are adding the water, you must constantly check to see if the glass has reached its maximum capacity. If it has, you then stop pouring. Otherwise, you continue adding water. Let's see how that would work as a `while` loop..." - "We a variable for our current glass content and we need one for the total capacity of the glass." - "What we want to do is add water to the glass one unit at a time until the glass reaches capacity. Said another way, **while** the glass contains less than its capacity, add another unit of water. Can you start the loop code before we move to the next slide?"

--- ## We Do: Filling a Glass of Water Add the loop: ```python glass = 0 glass_capacity = 12 while glass < glass_capacity: glass += 1 # Here is where we add more water ``` That's it! --- ## Side Note: Input() Let's do something more fun. With a partner, you will write a program that: - Has a user guess a number. - Runs until the user guesses. But first, how do we have users input numbers? Using `input()`. ```python user_name = input("Please enter your name:") # user_name now has what the user typed print(user_name) ``` Erase the code in your `practicing_while.py` file and put the above. Run it! What happens? Does it work?

**Teaching Tips**: - Don't put them in partners yet - make sure they all have `input` working on their own. - Demo that the text in the `input` prompt can be anything, and the variable `user_name` can be named anything. - There is a lesson teaching `input` in depth in unit 5, so you just need them to be able to use the code. Put any further questions into the parking lot. **Talking Points**: - "`While` loops are also great for guessing games. Let's use a small function called `input()` to get some user input so that they can take guesses about our secret number. Here's how `input()` works." - "Whatever string you put in the parentheses is printed to the screen. The user then has the opportunity to type something. The script will wait patiently for the user until something is typed and entered (a perfect example of a while loop in the Python internals.) When the user hits Enter, the string they typed is stored in the variable `user_name` above."

--- ## You Do: A Guessing Game Now, get with a partner! Let's write the the game. Decide who will be driver and who will be navigator. Add this to your existing file. - Set a variable, `answer` to `"5"` (yes, a string!). - Prompt the user for a guess and save it in a new variable, `guess`. - Create a `while` loop, ending when `guess` is equal to `answer`. - In the `while` loop, prompt the user for a new `guess`. - After the `while` loop, print "You did it!" Discuss with your partner: Why do we need to make an initial variable before the loop?

5 MINUTES **Teaching Tips**: - Run this as a partner exercise. Set student up in pairs, then walk around to be sure they're all working and no one is stuck. **Talking Points**: - "Now that you know how to accept input from the keyboard, make a game where the player must correctly guess a number. The game will continually prompt the user to enter a guess if they did not guess correctly. Once they correctly guess the number, the program congratulates them and exits. Can you think of how this would be written?" - "You need a variable to hold the correct answer. You need another variable to hold each subsequent guess. We will need to compare the guess to the answer and if it is wrong, ask the user again for a guess. This sounds like we will be repeatedly asking for a guess **while** the previous guess was incorrect." - "One thing to keep in mind is that `input()` returns a string so if the user types `5` it will result in the string `"5"`. You cannot compare numbers to strings in Python. To work around this for a number guessing game, set your correct answer variable to be the string of the number (e.g. "4" or "9") instead of the number itself. This way when you do your loop comparison, you'll be comparing the same types."

--- ## You Do: A Guessing Game (Solution) ```python answer = "4" guess = input("Guess what number I'm thinking of (1-10): ") while guess != answer: guess = input("Nope, try again: ") print("You got it!") ``` How'd you do? Questions? --- ## Summary + Q&A Loops: - Common, powerful control structures that let us efficiently deal with repetitive tasks. `for` loops: - Used to iterate a set number of times over a collection (e.g. list, string, or using `range`). - `range` use indices, not duplicates, so it lets you modify the collection. `while` loops: - Run until a condition is false. - Used when you don't know how many times you need to iterate. That was a tough lesson! Any questions? --- ## Additional Reading - [Learn Python Programming: Loops Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkQ0Xeg8LRI) - [Python: For Loop](https://wiki.python.org/moin/ForLoop) - [Python: Loops](https://www.tutorialspoint.com/python/python_loops.htm)