Python Control Flow

In programming, it is known to use various tools to make our computer programs more intelligent and adaptable. Hence, if there are more conditions to check, use ‘elif‘ (else if), and ‘else‘ provides a default action if none of the conditions are true. Then, there are loops (‘for’ and ‘while’) that help the robot repeat tasks.

Read this article to learn more about Python Control Flow. Therefore, there are two types of control flow statements in any programming language.

‘For’ loops are like telling the robot to do something a certain number of times, and ‘while’ loops are for tasks that keep going until a certain condition is met. We also use functions to store sets of instructions that we can reuse whenever we want.

What is a Decision-Making Statement

Decision-making statements are considered instructions that are used in Python Programs which will allow them to decide the execution of the Program. These statements will be executed due to the Boolean expression.

What is the if statement?

Python will give ‘‘if…elif’‘ control statements according to the decision-making. Let us look into the example provided below.

# Get a number from the user
number = int(input("Enter a number: "))

# Check the number and print a message based on its value
if number > 0:
    print("The number is positive.")
elif number == 0:
    print("The number is zero.")
else:
    print("The number is negative.")

Output

Enter a number: -3
The number isnegative.

What is the match statement?

Python will use a match-case statement and this is executed according to the decision-making process. The example provided below will help you to understand the match statement.

def check_number(number):
    match number:
        case 0:
            return "The number is zero."
        case _ if number > 0:
            return "The number is positive."
        case _:
            return "The number is negative."

# Get a number from the user
user_input = int(input("Enter a number: "))
result = check_number(user_input)
print(result)

Output

Enter a number: 0
The number is zero.

What is a Loop or iteration statement?

It is known that each process needs a group of instructions that will be run continuously. This terminology in programming is called a loop. Whereas, if the flow is changed the direction towards the earlier step, it will make up a loop.

Hence, In computer programs, we use loops, like the ‘for‘ or ‘while‘ loop, to repeat actions until a specific condition is met. For example, if you know exactly how many times you want to repeat something, you’d use a ‘for’ loop. If you’re unsure how many times, but you have a condition to stop, you’d use a ‘while’ loop.

What is the for Loop?

The example that will make use of The ”for loop” is provided below:

# Example of a for loop
for i in range(5):
    print("Iteration", i+1)

Output

Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Iteration 3
Iteration 4
Iteration 5

What is the while Loop?

The example provided below will illustrate the ”while Loop”.

# Example of a while loop
count = 0
while count < 5:
    print("Iteration", count+1)
    count += 1

Output

Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Iteration 3
Iteration 4
Iteration 5

Conclusion

In conclusion, Python’s control flow mechanisms, like conditional statements and loops, provide the tools necessary to make programs more dynamic and responsive. Conditional statements, such as ‘if’, ‘elif’, and ‘else‘, enable decision-making based on different conditions.

Loops, like ‘for’ and ‘while’, allow for the repetition of tasks until specific conditions are met, adding flexibility to program execution. Several examples are illustrated for a better understanding of if-else, loop, and while statement.

Python Control Flow- FAQs