else on the same line - howto

[Duncan Booth]

Helmut Jarausch <jarausch at remove.igpm.rwth-aachen.de> wrote in 
news:bmj859$iph$1 at nets3.rz.RWTH-Aachen.DE:

> k+= (dy >= 0 ? 1 : -1)
> 
> I would like to write
> if  dy >= 0 : k+= 1; else: k-= 1
> 
> instead of
> if  dy >= 0 :  k+= 1
> else        :  k-= 1
> 
> but I don't know the exact syntax for writing
> the 'else' clause onto the same line.
> 
> Thanks for a hint,

Hint: does using a newline character really cause you that much heartache?

There is no Python syntax for writing the else on the same line. Learn to 
live with it. Anyone who has to maintain your code will thank you for 
laying it out cleanly instead of cramping everything up onto a single line.

The clearest thing here would be to extract your intention out into a 
separate function. For example:

def direction(delta):
    if delta >= 0: return 1
    return -1

then use it:

    k += direction(dy)

-- 
Duncan Booth                                             duncan at rcp.co.uk
int month(char *p){return(124864/((p[0]+p[1]-p[2]&0x1f)+1)%12)["\5\x8\3"
"\6\7\xb\1\x9\xa\2\0\4"];} // Who said my code was obscure?