Python Program, while loop not executing?

Question

Names=[0,1,2,3,4]
Names[1]=='Ben'
Names[2]=='Thor'
Names[3]=='Zoe'
Names[4]=='Katie'
Max=4
Current=1
Found=False
PlayerName=input('What player are you looking for?')
while Found==False and Current==Max:
    if Names[Current]==PlayerName:
        Found=True

    else:
        Current+=1


if Found==True:
    print('Yes, they have a top score')
else:
    print('No, they do not have a top score')

This is the program. When any of the 4 names at the top are entered, the program should print, 'Yes, they have a top score', but when anything else is entered it should print,'No, they do not have a top score'.

However whatever name is entered it returns the 'No, they do not have a top score' message. I think it may have something to do with the loop but not sure what.

Platinum Azure · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-24 15:30:38Z

5

Your second condition is inverted. You want

while Found==False and Current!=Max:

That said, in Python you can do this much more simply using the in operator:

names = ['Ben', 'Thor', 'Zoe', 'Katie']
player_name = input('What player are you looking for?')

if player_name in names:
    print('Yes, they have a top score')
else:
    print('No, they do not have a top score')

That way, you don't need the while loop at all.

answered Mar 24, 2012 at 15:30

Platinum Azure

46.4k13 gold badges112 silver badges136 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

3 Comments

Joe Taylor Over a year ago

Thanks, it was just the "current!=max:" that was the problem. Silly mistake.

Platinum Azure Over a year ago

As others have pointed out, there are plenty of logical errors besides that one.

user836352 Over a year ago

This seems like a very 'pythonic' way of doing this. Great answer.

Thomas Orozco · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-24 15:32:00Z

1

Names[1]=='Ben'
...

Is not assignment, it is equality check (and it returns False, although this is irrelevant)

Hence, your list is not modified, and names are checked against the list [0,1,2,3,4], and they never match, which is not a surprise.

Additionally, your loop condition is incorrect, and the code there is never run.

You should however consider writing your program is a more pythonic way, using the in operator, as suggested above, or a least using a for loop, iterating over your list.

answered Mar 24, 2012 at 15:32

Thomas Orozco

55.6k12 gold badges120 silver badges120 bronze badges

Comments

user836352 · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-24 15:32:14Z

1

In your while loop, you're doing these comparisons:

Found==False and Current==Max

The second part of the condition will never evaluate to True because Current is always set to 1 before the loop, which is != to Max - therefore, the code in the loop never evaluates.

answered Mar 24, 2012 at 15:32

user836352

Comments

Simeon Visser · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-24 15:33:00Z

1

Look here:

Names=[0,1,2,3,4]
Names[1]=='Ben'
Names[2]=='Thor'
Names[3]=='Zoe'
Names[4]=='Katie'

This doesn't do what you think it does. Afterwards, Names is equal to [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]. The next few lines don't assign names to Names but only check whether an element is equal to a name. For example, Names[1]=='Ben' checks if the second element in Names is equal to Ben (so this evaluates to True or False) but nothing is done with the result.

answered Mar 24, 2012 at 15:33

Simeon Visser

123k19 gold badges192 silver badges185 bronze badges

Comments

Asterisk · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-24 15:33:47Z

1

Your code never enters inside while loop, because initially Current = 1 and Max = 4, so they are not equal.

answered Mar 24, 2012 at 15:33

Asterisk

3,5742 gold badges37 silver badges55 bronze badges

Comments

glglgl · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-05 10:58:29Z

1

Do you try to program BASIC in Python? :-)

Others have answered why it does not work. Even if you do these changes, your program does look more like BASIC than like Python.

You should do the following:

Use index 0 as well. You allocate 0..4 and use 1..4. Just use 0..3.
iterate through a list with for item in listobject: instead of the while loop.
Don't do if Found==True:, just use if Found:
Don't name your variables with starting uppercase - these names are for classes. Use found instead of Found.

edited Apr 5, 2012 at 10:58

answered Mar 24, 2012 at 15:36

glglgl

91.5k13 gold badges157 silver badges230 bronze badges

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Python Program, while loop not executing?

6 Answers 6

3 Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

6 Answers 6

3 Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related