Step 13: If/Elif/Else¶

Tutorial¶

Reeborg lives in Canada where it not only can rain or be sunny, but snow can also be falling. Let’s suppose that only one of those can happen at a time. Then, Reeborg could be faced with the following choices:

if it_rains():
    play_indoors()
elif it_snows():
    go_skiing()
else:
    go_swimming() # assuming it is warm!

Notice the use of elif (which means “else if”) for choice 2. If we took into account other possible weather phenomena, like hail, thunder, fog, drizzle, etc., we could add other choices using additional elif: ... code blocks.

Here is a graphical representation of the choices that Reeborg faces:

In Step 10, you wrote a program to make Reeborg jump hurdles. Your program was likely something like this:

def turn_right():
    repeat 3:
        turn_left()

def jump_hurdle():
    #code to make Reeborg jump the hurdle

repeat 5:
    move()
    jump_hurdle()

Although this code works fine for the hurdle world you were given, it would fail if the hurdles were not spaced evenly apart.

Here’s a program skeleton that should work for the world we mentioned above, provided you fill in the missing pieces. Note: You may find the `done` function (which tells Reeborg to stop doing anything) helpful here.

def jump_over_hurdle():
    # suitable definition

def run_jump_or_finish():
    if at_goal():
        # something
    elif front_is_clear():
        # something
    else:
        # something

#we can replace this repeat with while after the next step...
repeat 42:
    run_jump_or_finish()

Note the structure of the if/elif/else statements; as is mentioned above, you should see that it gives three independent choices: only one of them will be executed.

Your Turn¶

Open Step 13 on the Reeborg environment, and copy/paste the following code to begin your solution:

def jump_over_hurdle():
    # suitable definition

def run_jump_or_finish():
    if at_goal():
        done()  #tells Reeborg to stop
    elif front_is_clear():
        # something
    else:
        # something

repeat 42:
    run_jump_or_finish()

Reeborg is jumping hurdles again. This time, however, the hurdles may not all be the same distance apart. You should use a repeat loop to have Reeborg jump the hurdles, and end at the goal (12, 1). You must use an if/elif/else structure in your program.

If You’re Having Trouble (a more detailed explanation)¶

A series of if/elif/ ... /else statements is equivalent to inserting the first code block that evaluates to True. Thus:

if False:
    do_1()
elif True:
    do_2()
elif True:
    do_3()
else:
    do_4()

is equivalent to:

do_2()

whereas:

if False:
    do_1()
elif False:
    do_2()
elif False:
    do_3()
else:
    do_4()

is equivalent to:

do_4()

etc.