Indentation

[Emile van Sebille]

Comments interspersed below.

--

Emile van Sebille
emile at fenx.com

---------
"GWYoder" <yodersc at erols.com> wrote in message
news:9gnoom$cpn$1 at bob.news.rcn.net...
> I'm still trying here is what I'm getting...
>
> Python 2.1 (#15, Apr 16 2001, 18:25:49) [MSC 32 bit (Intel)] on win32
> Type "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
> IDLE 0.8 -- press F1 for help
> >>> y = 1900
> >>> leap = "no"
> >>> if y % 400 == 0:

idle automatically indents the next line

>  leap = "yes"

hit the backspace key before entering this line
to return to the prior indentation level

>  elif y % 100 == 0:

python wil indent the next line, but you
haven't entered one.

>
> SyntaxError: invalid syntax
>
> "Chris Gonnerman" <chris.gonnerman at newcenturycomputers.net> wrote in
message
> news:mailman.992955149.25097.python-list at python.org...
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Pilgrim" <gwyoder at hotmail.com>
> >
> >
> > > I'm new to programming so take it easy on me :-)
> > >
> > > I'm going through a book by Ivan Van Laningham and have gotten to
> > > indentations.  In the example I'm trying duplicate he as written three
> > lines
> > > from the command prompt.  After the third line is a new indentation
and
> > then
> > > the next line starts back at the beginning without the command prompt
> >>>
> > > and starts with an "elif" statement.  According to his tip to start a
> new
> > > line you just hit return twice when you are done with the indentation.
> OK
> > > that works fine and starts me at a new prompt >>> but when I type the
> next
> > > line starting with a "elif" statement it gives me a SyntaxError:
invalid
> > > syntax.  What I'm I missing?
> >
> > You've got it *almost* right.  When you are typing a control-flow
> > structure at the interactive prompt, you *don't* press enter twice
> > before the next control-flow keyword.  To wit:
> >
> > Python 2.0 (#8, Oct 16 2000, 17:27:58) [MSC 32 bit (Intel)] on win32
> > Type "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
> > Alternative ReadLine 1.4 -- Copyright 2001, Chris Gonnerman
> > >>> t = 1
> > >>> if t == 1:
> > ...     print "one"
> > ... elif t == 2:
> > ...     print "two"
> > ... else:
> > ...     print "something else"
> > ...
> > one
> > >>>
> >
> > What you are doing is this:
> >
> > >>> if t == 1:
> > ...     print "one"
> > ...
> > one
> > >>> elif t == 2:
> >   File "<stdin>", line 1
> >     elif t == 2:
> >        ^
> > SyntaxError: invalid syntax
> > >>>
> >
> > Pressing Enter twice ends the code block, but the if ... elif ... else
> > structure must not be broken up this way.
> >
> >
>
>