How to Think Like a Computer Scientist - Learning with Python, 2008a

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A.2 Runtime errors 223 A.1.1 I can’t get my program to run no matter what I do. If the compiler says there is an error and you don’t see it, that might be because you and the compiler are not looking at the same code. Check your programming environment to make sure that the program you are editing is the one Python is trying to run. If you are not sure, try putting an obvious and deliberate syntax error at the beginning of the program. Now run (or import) it again. If the compiler doesn’t find the new error, there is probably something wrong with the way your environment is set up. If this happens, one approach is to start again with a new program like “Hello, World!,” and make sure you can get a known program to run. Then gradually add the pieces of the new program to the working one. A.2 Runtime errors Once your program is syntactically correct, Python can import it and at least start running it. What could possibly go wrong? A.2.1 My program does absolutely nothing. This problem is most common when your file consists of functions and classes but does not actually invoke anything to start execution. This may be intentional if you only plan to import this module to supply classes and functions. If it is not intentional, make sure that you are invoking a function to start execution, or execute one from the interactive prompt. Also see the “Flow of Execution” section below. A.2.2 My program hangs. If a program stops and seems to be doing nothing, we say it is “hanging.” Often that means that it is caught in an infinite loop or an infinite recursion. • If there is a particular loop that you suspect is the problem, add a print statement immediately before the loop that says “entering the loop” and another immediately after that says “exiting the loop.” Run the program. If you get the first message and not the second, you’ve got an infinite loop. Go to the “Infinite Loop” section below.
224 Debugging • Most of the time, an infinite recursion will cause the program to run for a while and then produce a “RuntimeError: Maximum recursion depth exceeded” error. If that happens, go to the “Infinite Recursion” section below. If you are not getting this error but you suspect there is a problem with a recursive method or function, you can still use the techniques in the “Infinite Recursion” section. • If neither of those steps works, start testing other loops and other recursive functions and methods. • If that doesn’t work, then it is possible that you don’t understand the flow of execution in your program. Go to the “Flow of Execution” section below. Infinite Loop If you think you have an infinite loop and you think you know what loop is causing the problem, add a print statement at the end of the loop that prints the values of the variables in the condition and the value of the condition. For example: while x > 0 and y < 0 : # do something to x # do something to y print "x: ", x print "y: ", y print "condition: ", (x > 0 and y < 0) Now when you run the program, you will see three lines of output for each time through the loop. The last time through the loop, the condition should be false. If the loop keeps going, you will be able to see the values of x and y, andyou might figure out why they are not being updated correctly. Infinite Recursion Most of the time, an infinite recursion will cause the program to run for a while and then produce a Maximum recursion depth exceeded error. If you suspect that a function or method is causing an infinite recursion, start by checking to make sure that there is a base case. In other words, there should be some condition that will cause the function or method to return without making a recursive invocation. If not, then you need to rethink the algorithm and identify a base case.
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How to Think Like a Computer Scient
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How to Think Like a Computer Scient
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Foreword By David Beazley As an edu
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Preface By Jeff Elkner This book ow
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make instant changes whenever someo
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call (type) out its name.” Parame
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Contributor List To paraphrase the
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• Paul Sleigh found an error in C
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xvii • Roger Sperberg pointed out
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Contents Foreword v Preface vii Con
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Contents xxi 4.7 Nested conditional
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Contents xxiii 8.15 Matrices . . .
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Contents xxv 14.4 A more complicate
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Contents xxvii 19.4 Improved Linked
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Chapter 1 The way of the program Th
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1.2 What is a program? 3 $ python P
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1.3 What is debugging? 5 1.3.2 Runt
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1.4 Formal and natural languages 7
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1.6 Glossary 9 source code: A progr
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Chapter 2 Variables, expressions an
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2.3 Variable names and keywords 13
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2.4 Statements 15 >>> 76trombones =
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2.6 Operators and operands 17 2.6 O
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2.9 Composition 19 On one hand, thi
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2.11 Glossary 21 state diagram: A g
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Chapter 3 Functions 3.1 Function ca
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3.4 Math functions 25 >>> minute =
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3.6 Adding new functions 27 problem
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3.7 Definitions and use 29 3.7 Defi
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3.10 Variables and parameters are l
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3.12 Functions with results 33 The
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3.13 Glossary 35 local variable: A
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Chapter 4 Conditionals and recursio
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4.4 Conditional execution 39 In gen
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4.7 Nested conditionals 41 Each con
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4.9 Recursion 43 countdown expects
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4.11 Infinite recursion 45 4.11 Inf
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4.13 Glossary 47 block: A group of
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Chapter 5 Fruitful functions 5.1 Re
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5.2 Program development 51 avoid lo
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5.3 Composition 53 3. Once the prog
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5.5 More recursion 55 But the extra
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5.6 Leap of faith 57 __main__ facto
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5.8 Checking types 59 >>> factorial
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Chapter 6 Iteration 6.1 Multiple as
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6.2 The while statement 63 1. Evalu
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6.3 Tables 65 1.0 0.0 2.0 0.6931471
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6.5 Encapsulation and generalizatio
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6.7 Local variables 69 6.7 Local va
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6.9 Functions 71 the function is ca
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Chapter 7 Strings 7.1 A compound da
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7.3 Traversal and the for loop 75 T
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7.6 Strings are immutable 77 Other
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7.9 The string module 79 As an exer
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7.11 Glossary 81 There are other us
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Chapter 8 Lists A list is an ordere
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8.3 List length 85 If you try to re
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8.6 List operations 87 for VARIABLE
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8.9 List deletion 89 >>> list = [
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8.10 Objects and values 91 8.10 Obj
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8.13 List parameters 93 >>> b[0] =
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8.16 Strings and lists 95 might be
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Chapter 9 Tuples 9.1 Mutability and
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9.3 Tuples as return values 99 9.3
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9.6 Counting 101 >>> randomList(8)
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9.7 Many buckets 103 bucketWidth =
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9.9 Glossary 105 9.9 Glossary Assig
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Chapter 10 Dictionaries The compoun
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10.2 Dictionary methods 109 10.2 Di
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10.5 Hints 111 An alternative is to
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10.6 Long integers 113 Using this v
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10.8 Glossary 115 overflow: A numer
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Chapter 11 Files and exceptions Whi
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11.1 Text files 119 The following f
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11.2 Writing variables 121 the str
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11.3 Directories 123 11.3 Directori
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11.5 Exceptions 125 Or trying to op
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11.6 Glossary 127 format sequence:
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Chapter 12 Classes and objects 12.1
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12.3 Instances as arguments 131 con
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12.5 Rectangles 133 >>> p1 = Point(
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12.8 Copying 135 The variables dwid
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12.9 Glossary 137 12.9 Glossary cla
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Chapter 13 Classes and functions 13
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13.3 Modifiers 141 The output of th
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13.5 Prototype development versus p
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13.8 Glossary 145 Similarly, the te
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Chapter 14 Classes and methods 14.1
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14.3 Another example 149 class Time
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14.5 Optional arguments 151 if done
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14.7 Points revisited 153 >>> curre
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14.9 Polymorphism 155 def __mul__(s
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14.10 Glossary 157 Of course, we in
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Chapter 15 Sets of objects 15.1 Com
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15.3 Class attributes and the str m
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15.5 Decks 163 def __cmp__(self, ot
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15.7 Shuffling the deck 165 >>> dec
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15.9 Glossary 167 class Deck: ... d
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Chapter 16 Inheritance 16.1 Inherit
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16.3 Dealing cards 171 16.3 Dealing
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Page 232 and 233: 19.5 Priority queue 203 and it is m
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Page 236 and 237: Chapter 20 Trees Like linked lists,
Page 238 and 239: 20.2 Traversing trees 209 20.2 Trav
Page 240 and 241: 20.4 Tree traversal 211 def printTr
Page 242 and 243: 20.5 Building an expression tree 21
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Page 246 and 247: 20.7 The animal tree 217 Are you th
Page 248 and 249: 20.8 Glossary 219 def yes(ques): fr
Page 250 and 251: Appendix A Debugging Different kind
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Page 256 and 257: A.3 Semantic errors 227 A.3 Semanti
Page 258 and 259: A.3 Semantic errors 229 return self
Page 260 and 261: Appendix B Creating a new data type
Page 262 and 263: B.1 Fraction multiplication 233 >>>
Page 264 and 265: B.4 Comparing fractions 235 This re
Page 266 and 267: B.6 Glossary 237 reduce: To change
Page 268 and 269: Appendix C Recommendations for furt
Page 270 and 271: C.2 Recommended general computer sc
Page 272 and 273: Index Make Way for Ducklings, 75 Py
Page 274 and 275: Index 245 element, 83, 96 embedded
Page 276 and 277: Index 247 well-formed, 189 list del
Page 278 and 279: Index 249 redundancy, 7 reference,
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