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

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A.2 Runtime errors 225 If there is a base case but the program doesn’t seem to be reaching it, add a print statement at the beginning of the function or method that prints the parameters. Now when you run the program, you will see a few lines of output every time the function or method is invoked, and you will see the parameters. If the parameters are not moving toward the base case, you will get some ideas about why not. Flow of Execution If you are not sure how the flow of execution is moving through your program, add print statements to the beginning of each function with a message like “entering function foo,” where foo is the name of the function. Now when you run the program, it will print a trace of each function as it is invoked. A.2.3 When I run the program I get an exception. If something goes wrong during runtime, Python prints a message that includes the name of the exception, the line of the program where the problem occurred, and a traceback. The traceback identifies the function that is currently running, and then the function that invoked it, and then the function that invoked that, and so on. In other words, it traces the path of function invocations that got you to where you are. It also includes the line number in your file where each of these calls occurs. The first step is to examine the place in the program where the error occurred and see if you can figure out what happened. These are some of the most common runtime errors: NameError: You are trying to use a variable that doesn’t exist in the current environment. Remember that local variables are local. You cannot refer to them from outside the function where they are defined. TypeError: There are several possible causes: • You are trying to use a value improperly. Example: indexing a string, list, or tuple with something other than an integer. • There is a mismatch between the items in a format string and the items passed for conversion. This can happen if either the number of items does not match or an invalid conversion is called for.
226 Debugging • You are passing the wrong number of arguments to a function or method. For methods, look at the method definition and check that the first parameter is self. Then look at the method invocation; make sure you are invoking the method on an object with the right type and providing the other arguments correctly. KeyError: You are trying to access an element of a dictionary using a key value that the dictionary does not contain. AttributeError: You are trying to access an attribute or method that does not exist. IndexError: The index you are using to access a list, string, or tuple is greater than its length minus one. Immediately before the site of the error, add a print statement to display the value of the index and the length of the array. Is the array the right size? Is the index the right value? A.2.4 I added so many print statements I get inundated with output. One of the problems with using print statements for debugging is that you can end up buried in output. There are two ways to proceed: simplify the output or simplify the program. To simplify the output, you can remove or comment out print statements that aren’t helping, or combine them, or format the output so it is easier to understand. To simplify the program, there are several things you can do. First, scale down the problem the program is working on. For example, if you are sorting an array, sort a small array. If the program takes input from the user, give it the simplest input that causes the problem. Second, clean up the program. Remove dead code and reorganize the program to make it as easy to read as possible. For example, if you suspect that the problem is in a deeply nested part of the program, try rewriting that part with simpler structure. If you suspect a large function, try splitting it into smaller functions and testing them separately. Often the process of finding the minimal test case leads you to the bug. If you find that a program works in one situation but not in another, that gives you a clue about what is going on. Similarly, rewriting a piece of code can help you find subtle bugs. If you make a change that you think doesn’t affect the program, and it does, that can tip you off.
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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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16.6 OldMaidHand class 173 class Ca
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Page 228 and 229: Chapter 19 Queues This chapter pres
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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
Page 252 and 253: A.2 Runtime errors 223 A.1.1 I can
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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