for what are for/while else clauses

[Bryan]

Terry Reedy wrote:
> "Diez B. Roggisch" <deets_noospaam at web.de> wrote in message
> news:bp371c$g75$07$1 at news.t-online.com...
> 
>>I imagined that the else-clause would only be executed if the loop
> 
> body
> 
>>wasn't entered, so I could write this
> 
> ...
> 
>>waiting for enlightment,
> 
> 
> Try the following which I recently thought up.
> You are familiar with this:
> 
> if cond: t()
> else: f()
> 
> meaning, if cond is false, do f().  Now
> 
> while cond: t()
> else: f()
> 
> means if and when cond is false, do f().  To make the parallel
> clearer, consider this C-like pseudopython equivalent:
> 
> label: loop
> if cond:
>   t()
>   goto loop
> else: f()
> 
> If (and now when, because of the looping) cond is false, do f().  Now,
> 
> for i in seq: t()
> else: f()
> 
> translates to something like
> 
> __i, __istop = 0, len(seq)
> while __i < __istop:
>   i = seq[__i]
>   t()
> else: f()
> 
> which in turn could be translated to an if with goto, so that f
> executes if/when the sequence is exhausted.
> 
> In summary, the else clause executes if/when the loop condition
> evaluates as false, just as with else clauses and if conditions.  The
> difference is the repeated instead of just once testing of the
> condition.  Break aborts this repeated testing and bypasses the else
> clause, as it should because the condition was always true, as also
> happens with true if conditions.
> 
> Terry J. Reedy
> 
> 

terry,

thnak you for your very clear and consice explanation.

bryan