[Tutor] Is there a way to store and later use comparison operators (<, <=, =, >=, >) ?

[Mark Lawrence]

On 29/04/2015 21:10, boB Stepp wrote:
> Python 2.4.4, Solaris 10.
>
> I have some functions that I believe I could collapse into a single
> function if I only knew how:
>
> def choose_compare(operator, value0, value1, pass_color, fail_color):
>      """
>      Perform the comparison indicated by operator. Return pass_color if
> true, fail_color if false.
>      """
>      if operator == '<':
>              return less_than(value0, value1, pass_color, fail_color)
>      elif operator == '<=':
>          return less_than_or_equal(value0, value1, pass_color, fail_color)
>      elif operator == '=':
>          return equal(value0, value1, pass_color, fail_color)
>      elif operator == '>':
>          return greater_than(value0, value1, pass_color, fail_color)
>      elif operator == '>=':
>          return greater_than_or_equal(value0, value1, pass_color, fail_color)
>      else:
>          print 'WarningMessage = "Invalid comparison operator in
> function, choose_compare(). at Please contact script administrator for
> assistance.";'
>
> def less_than(value0, value1, pass_color, fail_color):
>      """
>      See if value0 is less than value1. If true, return pass_color. If
> false, return fail_color.
>      """
>      if value0 < value1:
>          return pass_color, True
>      else:
>          return fail_color, False
>
> def less_than_or_equal(value0, value1, pass_color, fail_color):
>      """
>      See if value0 is less than or equal to value1. If true, return
> pass_color. If false, return fail_color.
>      """
>      if value0 <= value1:
>          return pass_color, True
>      else:
>          return fail_color, False
>
> ... 3 more functions ...
>
> I won't give the remaining functions for the other comparison
> operators. The string variable, operator, is originally populated from
> a data file, which tells what type of comparison needs to be made. The
> last two functions I gave (and the ones I omitted giving) all follow
> the same exact pattern. I know there has to be some way to replace
> these 5 functions with 1, but what experimentation I have done to date
> has not worked.
>
> Also, what about the first function above? I could use 2 dictionaries,
> 1 for calling the 5 functions and one to pass the arguments, but is it
> worth doing this? Or, I would not be surprised if there is a much
> better way! ~(:>))
>
> Thanks!
>

This isn't a job for Bicycle Repair Man!!!  It smacks to me of 
dictionaries and the operator module but I'm too bone idle to look it up 
myself, so try here https://docs.python.org/3/library/operator.html
D'oh :)

-- 
My fellow Pythonistas, ask not what our language can do for you, ask
what you can do for our language.

Mark Lawrence