rantingrick wrote: > On Jul 5, 11:04 am, Corey Richardson <kb1...@aim.com> wrote: > >> How is giving the sort method a function by which to determine the >> relative value of objects a control structure? Do you know what a control >> structure is? It's something that you use to modify control flow: >> >> if foo <= bar: >> foo += 1 >> else: >> bar += 1 > > Interesting, corey. Very interesting. However the fun is yet to come > so stay tuned... > >> That's a control structurem the "if-else". I don't know what Ruby calls a >> control structure, but that's what it is. for and while are in there too. >> When you run lst.sort(lambda x, y: cmp(x[1], y[1])), what happens? > > So are you suggesting that a control structure must have at minimum > one of "for", "while", or "if"?
A control structure is a structure which controls the program flow. Control structures include: * jumps (goto, gosub, comefrom, exceptions, break, continue) * loops (for, while, repeat...until) * conditional branches (if, case/switch) There may be others, although I can't think of any of hand. Jumping, looping and branching pretty much covers all the bases, I think. It excludes expressions such as ternary-if, because that doesn't control program flow, it's just an expression. A function which includes a control structure inside it is not itself a control structure, in the same way that the existence of bones inside you does not make you a bone. [...] > Yes there IS and "if" in there and IF you look closely enough you may > see two "for"'s also. So by your own definition this (naive) code > qualifies as a control structure. I see what you did there. First you put words into Cory's mouth that he did not say, they you try to criticise him based on those words -- YOUR words. No Rick, that's your definition, not Cory's. Please do not treat us as stupid. > But wait just a second Corey. My statement has nothing to do with > sort. sort is just the vehicle. My statement is that the cmp argument > to sort IS a user defined control structure (the code block to be > exact). The cmp argument to sort is not a control structure because it is not a structure and it does not control the program flow. -- Steven -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
