while True or while 1

[Dan Sommers]

On Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:25:25 +0000, Steven D'Aprano wrote:

> Or they've been writing Python code since before version 2.2 when True
> and False were introduced, and so they are used to the "while 1" idiom
> and never lost the habit.

That would be me.

As per a now-ancient suggestion on this mailing list (I believe it was by 
Tim Peters), I've also been known to use a non-empty, literal Python 
string as a self-documenting, forever-True value in the typical loop-and-a-
half cnstruct:

    while "the temperature is too big":
        temperature = get_temperature()
        if temperature <= threshold:
            break
        process_temperature(temperature)

This way, even though the loop condition is buried inside the loop (which 
could be longer than four lines), it is apparent as soon as I encounter 
the loop.

With the advent of the "with" statement, though, these loops are slowly 
disappearing.

-- 
Dan