Variable depth of nesting

[Andrew Cooke]

I think this is "Power Loops" - see the first chapter (IIRC) of Finkel
at http://cseng.aw.com/book/related/0,3833,0805311912+20,00.html
(although I may be wrong as they never made much sense to me and my
brand-spanking-new firewall won't let me look at the book that URL
indicates any more because it's FTP).

Andrew

Jacek Generowicz wrote:
> 
> Is it somehow possible to write loops with variable nesting depths?
> 
> For example, I would like to write something like the function
> outlined below without having to use the if clauses. Particularly, I
> would like to make it work for a GENERAL length of list_of_lists.
> 
> def hmm ( list_of_lists ):
>     if len( list_of_lists ) == 1:
>         for x in list_of_lists[0]:
>             # do something
>         return
> 
>     if len( list_of_lists ) == 2:
>         for x in list_of_lists[0]:
>             for y in list_of_lists[1]
>             # do somehting
>         return
> 
>     if len( list_of_lists ) == 3:
>         for x . . . :
>             for y . . . :
>                 for z . . . :
>                     # do something
>         return
> 
>     if len( list_of_lists ) == 4:
> 
>     #etc.
>     #etc.
> 
> Alternatively, how about list comprehensions with variable order:
> 
> def hmm ( l ):
>     if len( l ) == 1:
>         return [ x for x in l[0] ]
> 
>     if len( l ) == 2:
>         return [ (x,y) for x in l[0] for y in l[1] ]
> 
>     if len( l ) == 3:
>         return [ (x,y,z) for x in l[0] for y in l[1] for z in l[2] ]
> 
>     #etc.
>     #etc.
> 
> Any ideas ?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Jacek