7.5. Chained conditional execution

7.5. Chained conditional execution
	Chapter 7. Branching and Decisions

In Python, you can specify more than one alternative:

>>> seq = 'vATGCAnATG'
>>> base = seq[0]
>>> base
v

>>> if base in 'ATGC':
...    print "exact nucleotid"
... elif base in 'bdhkmnrsuvwxy':
...    print "ambiguous nucleotid"
... else:
...    print "not a nucleotid"
...
ambiguous nucleotid

The elif statement is used to give an alternative condition. What happens when this is executed? The conditions are evaluated from top to bottom. In our example with base = 'v' as first condition, the if condition base in 'ATGC' is false, so the next condition, that of the elif statement is evaluated. base in 'bdhkmnrsuvwxy' is true, so the block of statements of this clause is executed and ambiguous nucleotid is printed. Then the evaluation of the condition is stopped and the flow of execution continues with the statement following the if-elif-else construction.

	Multiple alternative conditions
	Multiple alternative conditions are conditions that are tested from top to bottom. The clause of statements for the first alternative that is evaluated as true is executed. So there is exactly one alternative that is executed, even if there are more than one that are true. In this case the clause of the first true condition encountered is chosen. Figure 7.5 illustrates this.

Figure 7.5. Multiple alternatives or Chained conditions

The else statement is optional. But it is more safe to catch the case where all of the given conditions are false.

Exercise 7.1. Chained conditions

The elif statement only facilitates the writing and legibility of multiple alternative conditions. How would you write a multiple condition without this statement (Solution 7.1)?

Hint: See the scheme of Figure 7.5.


7.4. Alternative execution		7.6. Nested conditions