blob: 988eec6d254e102e95630f8cc3d0a2b4d061b1f1 [file] [log] [blame]
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +00001.. _compound:
2
3*******************
4Compound statements
5*******************
6
7.. index:: pair: compound; statement
8
9Compound statements contain (groups of) other statements; they affect or control
10the execution of those other statements in some way. In general, compound
11statements span multiple lines, although in simple incarnations a whole compound
12statement may be contained in one line.
13
14The :keyword:`if`, :keyword:`while` and :keyword:`for` statements implement
15traditional control flow constructs. :keyword:`try` specifies exception
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +000016handlers and/or cleanup code for a group of statements, while the
17:keyword:`with` statement allows the execution of initialization and
18finalization code around a block of code. Function and class definitions are
19also syntactically compound statements.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000020
21.. index::
22 single: clause
23 single: suite
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +020024 single: ; (semicolon)
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000025
Raymond Hettingeraa7886d2014-05-26 22:20:37 -070026A compound statement consists of one or more 'clauses.' A clause consists of a
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000027header and a 'suite.' The clause headers of a particular compound statement are
28all at the same indentation level. Each clause header begins with a uniquely
29identifying keyword and ends with a colon. A suite is a group of statements
30controlled by a clause. A suite can be one or more semicolon-separated simple
31statements on the same line as the header, following the header's colon, or it
32can be one or more indented statements on subsequent lines. Only the latter
Raymond Hettingeraa7886d2014-05-26 22:20:37 -070033form of a suite can contain nested compound statements; the following is illegal,
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000034mostly because it wouldn't be clear to which :keyword:`if` clause a following
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +000035:keyword:`else` clause would belong::
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000036
Georg Brandl6911e3c2007-09-04 07:15:32 +000037 if test1: if test2: print(x)
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000038
39Also note that the semicolon binds tighter than the colon in this context, so
Georg Brandl6911e3c2007-09-04 07:15:32 +000040that in the following example, either all or none of the :func:`print` calls are
41executed::
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000042
Georg Brandl6911e3c2007-09-04 07:15:32 +000043 if x < y < z: print(x); print(y); print(z)
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000044
45Summarizing:
46
47.. productionlist::
48 compound_stmt: `if_stmt`
49 : | `while_stmt`
50 : | `for_stmt`
51 : | `try_stmt`
52 : | `with_stmt`
53 : | `funcdef`
54 : | `classdef`
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -040055 : | `async_with_stmt`
56 : | `async_for_stmt`
57 : | `async_funcdef`
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000058 suite: `stmt_list` NEWLINE | NEWLINE INDENT `statement`+ DEDENT
59 statement: `stmt_list` NEWLINE | `compound_stmt`
60 stmt_list: `simple_stmt` (";" `simple_stmt`)* [";"]
61
62.. index::
63 single: NEWLINE token
64 single: DEDENT token
65 pair: dangling; else
66
67Note that statements always end in a ``NEWLINE`` possibly followed by a
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +000068``DEDENT``. Also note that optional continuation clauses always begin with a
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000069keyword that cannot start a statement, thus there are no ambiguities (the
70'dangling :keyword:`else`' problem is solved in Python by requiring nested
71:keyword:`if` statements to be indented).
72
73The formatting of the grammar rules in the following sections places each clause
74on a separate line for clarity.
75
76
77.. _if:
Christian Heimes5b5e81c2007-12-31 16:14:33 +000078.. _elif:
79.. _else:
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000080
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +020081The :keyword:`!if` statement
82============================
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000083
Christian Heimesfaf2f632008-01-06 16:59:19 +000084.. index::
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +020085 ! statement: if
Christian Heimesfaf2f632008-01-06 16:59:19 +000086 keyword: elif
87 keyword: else
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +020088 single: : (colon); compound statement
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000089
90The :keyword:`if` statement is used for conditional execution:
91
92.. productionlist::
93 if_stmt: "if" `expression` ":" `suite`
Andrés Delfinocaccca782018-07-07 17:24:46 -030094 : ("elif" `expression` ":" `suite`)*
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000095 : ["else" ":" `suite`]
96
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +000097It selects exactly one of the suites by evaluating the expressions one by one
98until one is found to be true (see section :ref:`booleans` for the definition of
99true and false); then that suite is executed (and no other part of the
100:keyword:`if` statement is executed or evaluated). If all expressions are
101false, the suite of the :keyword:`else` clause, if present, is executed.
102
103
104.. _while:
105
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200106The :keyword:`!while` statement
107===============================
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000108
109.. index::
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200110 ! statement: while
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000111 keyword: else
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000112 pair: loop; statement
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200113 single: : (colon); compound statement
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000114
115The :keyword:`while` statement is used for repeated execution as long as an
116expression is true:
117
118.. productionlist::
119 while_stmt: "while" `expression` ":" `suite`
120 : ["else" ":" `suite`]
121
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000122This repeatedly tests the expression and, if it is true, executes the first
123suite; if the expression is false (which may be the first time it is tested) the
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200124suite of the :keyword:`!else` clause, if present, is executed and the loop
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000125terminates.
126
127.. index::
128 statement: break
129 statement: continue
130
131A :keyword:`break` statement executed in the first suite terminates the loop
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200132without executing the :keyword:`!else` clause's suite. A :keyword:`continue`
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000133statement executed in the first suite skips the rest of the suite and goes back
134to testing the expression.
135
136
137.. _for:
138
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200139The :keyword:`!for` statement
140=============================
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000141
142.. index::
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200143 ! statement: for
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000144 keyword: in
145 keyword: else
146 pair: target; list
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000147 pair: loop; statement
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000148 object: sequence
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200149 single: : (colon); compound statement
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000150
151The :keyword:`for` statement is used to iterate over the elements of a sequence
152(such as a string, tuple or list) or other iterable object:
153
154.. productionlist::
155 for_stmt: "for" `target_list` "in" `expression_list` ":" `suite`
156 : ["else" ":" `suite`]
157
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000158The expression list is evaluated once; it should yield an iterable object. An
159iterator is created for the result of the ``expression_list``. The suite is
Raymond Hettingeraa7886d2014-05-26 22:20:37 -0700160then executed once for each item provided by the iterator, in the order returned
161by the iterator. Each item in turn is assigned to the target list using the
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000162standard rules for assignments (see :ref:`assignment`), and then the suite is
163executed. When the items are exhausted (which is immediately when the sequence
164is empty or an iterator raises a :exc:`StopIteration` exception), the suite in
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200165the :keyword:`!else` clause, if present, is executed, and the loop terminates.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000166
167.. index::
168 statement: break
169 statement: continue
170
171A :keyword:`break` statement executed in the first suite terminates the loop
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200172without executing the :keyword:`!else` clause's suite. A :keyword:`continue`
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000173statement executed in the first suite skips the rest of the suite and continues
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200174with the next item, or with the :keyword:`!else` clause if there is no next
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000175item.
176
Andrés Delfinoe42b7052018-07-26 12:35:23 -0300177The for-loop makes assignments to the variables in the target list.
Raymond Hettingeraa7886d2014-05-26 22:20:37 -0700178This overwrites all previous assignments to those variables including
179those made in the suite of the for-loop::
180
181 for i in range(10):
182 print(i)
183 i = 5 # this will not affect the for-loop
Zachary Ware2f78b842014-06-03 09:32:40 -0500184 # because i will be overwritten with the next
Raymond Hettingeraa7886d2014-05-26 22:20:37 -0700185 # index in the range
186
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000187
188.. index::
189 builtin: range
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000190
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000191Names in the target list are not deleted when the loop is finished, but if the
Raymond Hettingeraa7886d2014-05-26 22:20:37 -0700192sequence is empty, they will not have been assigned to at all by the loop. Hint:
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000193the built-in function :func:`range` returns an iterator of integers suitable to
Benjamin Peterson3db5e7b2009-06-03 03:13:30 +0000194emulate the effect of Pascal's ``for i := a to b do``; e.g., ``list(range(3))``
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000195returns the list ``[0, 1, 2]``.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000196
Georg Brandle720c0a2009-04-27 16:20:50 +0000197.. note::
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000198
199 .. index::
200 single: loop; over mutable sequence
201 single: mutable sequence; loop over
202
203 There is a subtlety when the sequence is being modified by the loop (this can
Andrés Delfino6921ef72018-07-30 15:44:35 -0300204 only occur for mutable sequences, e.g. lists). An internal counter is used
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000205 to keep track of which item is used next, and this is incremented on each
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000206 iteration. When this counter has reached the length of the sequence the loop
207 terminates. This means that if the suite deletes the current (or a previous)
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000208 item from the sequence, the next item will be skipped (since it gets the
209 index of the current item which has already been treated). Likewise, if the
210 suite inserts an item in the sequence before the current item, the current
211 item will be treated again the next time through the loop. This can lead to
212 nasty bugs that can be avoided by making a temporary copy using a slice of
213 the whole sequence, e.g., ::
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000214
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000215 for x in a[:]:
216 if x < 0: a.remove(x)
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000217
218
219.. _try:
Christian Heimes5b5e81c2007-12-31 16:14:33 +0000220.. _except:
221.. _finally:
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000222
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200223The :keyword:`!try` statement
224=============================
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000225
Christian Heimesfaf2f632008-01-06 16:59:19 +0000226.. index::
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200227 ! statement: try
Christian Heimesfaf2f632008-01-06 16:59:19 +0000228 keyword: except
229 keyword: finally
Serhiy Storchakaddb961d2018-10-26 09:00:49 +0300230 keyword: else
231 keyword: as
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200232 single: : (colon); compound statement
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000233
234The :keyword:`try` statement specifies exception handlers and/or cleanup code
235for a group of statements:
236
237.. productionlist::
Andrés Delfinocaccca782018-07-07 17:24:46 -0300238 try_stmt: `try1_stmt` | `try2_stmt`
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000239 try1_stmt: "try" ":" `suite`
Terry Jan Reedy65e3ecb2014-08-23 19:29:47 -0400240 : ("except" [`expression` ["as" `identifier`]] ":" `suite`)+
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000241 : ["else" ":" `suite`]
242 : ["finally" ":" `suite`]
243 try2_stmt: "try" ":" `suite`
244 : "finally" ":" `suite`
245
Christian Heimesfaf2f632008-01-06 16:59:19 +0000246
247The :keyword:`except` clause(s) specify one or more exception handlers. When no
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000248exception occurs in the :keyword:`try` clause, no exception handler is executed.
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200249When an exception occurs in the :keyword:`!try` suite, a search for an exception
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000250handler is started. This search inspects the except clauses in turn until one
251is found that matches the exception. An expression-less except clause, if
252present, must be last; it matches any exception. For an except clause with an
253expression, that expression is evaluated, and the clause matches the exception
254if the resulting object is "compatible" with the exception. An object is
255compatible with an exception if it is the class or a base class of the exception
256object or a tuple containing an item compatible with the exception.
257
258If no except clause matches the exception, the search for an exception handler
259continues in the surrounding code and on the invocation stack. [#]_
260
261If the evaluation of an expression in the header of an except clause raises an
262exception, the original search for a handler is canceled and a search starts for
263the new exception in the surrounding code and on the call stack (it is treated
264as if the entire :keyword:`try` statement raised the exception).
265
Serhiy Storchakaddb961d2018-10-26 09:00:49 +0300266.. index:: single: as; except clause
267
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000268When a matching except clause is found, the exception is assigned to the target
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200269specified after the :keyword:`!as` keyword in that except clause, if present, and
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000270the except clause's suite is executed. All except clauses must have an
271executable block. When the end of this block is reached, execution continues
272normally after the entire try statement. (This means that if two nested
273handlers exist for the same exception, and the exception occurs in the try
274clause of the inner handler, the outer handler will not handle the exception.)
275
276When an exception has been assigned using ``as target``, it is cleared at the
277end of the except clause. This is as if ::
278
279 except E as N:
280 foo
281
282was translated to ::
283
284 except E as N:
285 try:
286 foo
287 finally:
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000288 del N
289
Benjamin Petersonfb288da2010-06-29 01:27:35 +0000290This means the exception must be assigned to a different name to be able to
291refer to it after the except clause. Exceptions are cleared because with the
292traceback attached to them, they form a reference cycle with the stack frame,
293keeping all locals in that frame alive until the next garbage collection occurs.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000294
295.. index::
296 module: sys
297 object: traceback
298
299Before an except clause's suite is executed, details about the exception are
Raymond Hettingeraa7886d2014-05-26 22:20:37 -0700300stored in the :mod:`sys` module and can be accessed via :func:`sys.exc_info`.
Georg Brandlb30f3302011-01-06 09:23:56 +0000301:func:`sys.exc_info` returns a 3-tuple consisting of the exception class, the
302exception instance and a traceback object (see section :ref:`types`) identifying
303the point in the program where the exception occurred. :func:`sys.exc_info`
304values are restored to their previous values (before the call) when returning
305from a function that handled an exception.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000306
307.. index::
308 keyword: else
309 statement: return
310 statement: break
311 statement: continue
312
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200313The optional :keyword:`!else` clause is executed if the control flow leaves the
Andrés Delfinob086c8a2018-11-11 16:33:51 -0300314:keyword:`try` suite, no exception was raised, and no :keyword:`return`,
315:keyword:`continue`, or :keyword:`break` statement was executed. Exceptions in
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200316the :keyword:`!else` clause are not handled by the preceding :keyword:`except`
Andrés Delfinob086c8a2018-11-11 16:33:51 -0300317clauses.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000318
319.. index:: keyword: finally
320
321If :keyword:`finally` is present, it specifies a 'cleanup' handler. The
322:keyword:`try` clause is executed, including any :keyword:`except` and
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200323:keyword:`!else` clauses. If an exception occurs in any of the clauses and is
324not handled, the exception is temporarily saved. The :keyword:`!finally` clause
Mark Dickinson05ee5812012-09-24 20:16:38 +0100325is executed. If there is a saved exception it is re-raised at the end of the
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200326:keyword:`!finally` clause. If the :keyword:`!finally` clause raises another
Mark Dickinson05ee5812012-09-24 20:16:38 +0100327exception, the saved exception is set as the context of the new exception.
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200328If the :keyword:`!finally` clause executes a :keyword:`return`, :keyword:`break`
Serhiy Storchakafe2bbb12018-03-18 09:56:52 +0200329or :keyword:`continue` statement, the saved exception is discarded::
Andrew Svetlovf158d862012-08-14 15:38:15 +0300330
Zachary Ware9fafc9f2014-05-06 09:18:17 -0500331 >>> def f():
332 ... try:
333 ... 1/0
334 ... finally:
335 ... return 42
336 ...
337 >>> f()
338 42
Andrew Svetlovf158d862012-08-14 15:38:15 +0300339
340The exception information is not available to the program during execution of
341the :keyword:`finally` clause.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000342
343.. index::
344 statement: return
345 statement: break
346 statement: continue
347
348When a :keyword:`return`, :keyword:`break` or :keyword:`continue` statement is
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200349executed in the :keyword:`try` suite of a :keyword:`!try`...\ :keyword:`!finally`
Serhiy Storchakafe2bbb12018-03-18 09:56:52 +0200350statement, the :keyword:`finally` clause is also executed 'on the way out.'
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000351
Zachary Ware8edd5322014-05-06 09:07:13 -0500352The return value of a function is determined by the last :keyword:`return`
353statement executed. Since the :keyword:`finally` clause always executes, a
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200354:keyword:`!return` statement executed in the :keyword:`!finally` clause will
Zachary Ware8edd5322014-05-06 09:07:13 -0500355always be the last one executed::
356
357 >>> def foo():
358 ... try:
359 ... return 'try'
360 ... finally:
361 ... return 'finally'
362 ...
363 >>> foo()
364 'finally'
365
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000366Additional information on exceptions can be found in section :ref:`exceptions`,
367and information on using the :keyword:`raise` statement to generate exceptions
368may be found in section :ref:`raise`.
369
Serhiy Storchakafe2bbb12018-03-18 09:56:52 +0200370.. versionchanged:: 3.8
371 Prior to Python 3.8, a :keyword:`continue` statement was illegal in the
372 :keyword:`finally` clause due to a problem with the implementation.
373
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000374
375.. _with:
Christian Heimes5b5e81c2007-12-31 16:14:33 +0000376.. _as:
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000377
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200378The :keyword:`!with` statement
379==============================
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000380
Terry Jan Reedy7c895ed2014-04-29 00:58:56 -0400381.. index::
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200382 ! statement: with
Serhiy Storchakaddb961d2018-10-26 09:00:49 +0300383 keyword: as
384 single: as; with statement
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200385 single: , (comma); with statement
386 single: : (colon); compound statement
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000387
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000388The :keyword:`with` statement is used to wrap the execution of a block with
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000389methods defined by a context manager (see section :ref:`context-managers`).
390This allows common :keyword:`try`...\ :keyword:`except`...\ :keyword:`finally`
391usage patterns to be encapsulated for convenient reuse.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000392
393.. productionlist::
Andrés Delfinocaccca782018-07-07 17:24:46 -0300394 with_stmt: "with" `with_item` ("," `with_item`)* ":" `suite`
Georg Brandl0c315622009-05-25 21:10:36 +0000395 with_item: `expression` ["as" `target`]
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000396
Georg Brandl0c315622009-05-25 21:10:36 +0000397The execution of the :keyword:`with` statement with one "item" proceeds as follows:
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000398
Georg Brandl3387f482010-09-03 22:40:02 +0000399#. The context expression (the expression given in the :token:`with_item`) is
400 evaluated to obtain a context manager.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000401
Benjamin Peterson876b2f22009-06-28 03:18:59 +0000402#. The context manager's :meth:`__exit__` is loaded for later use.
403
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000404#. The context manager's :meth:`__enter__` method is invoked.
405
406#. If a target was included in the :keyword:`with` statement, the return value
407 from :meth:`__enter__` is assigned to it.
408
409 .. note::
410
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000411 The :keyword:`with` statement guarantees that if the :meth:`__enter__`
412 method returns without an error, then :meth:`__exit__` will always be
Benjamin Peterson876b2f22009-06-28 03:18:59 +0000413 called. Thus, if an error occurs during the assignment to the target list,
414 it will be treated the same as an error occurring within the suite would
415 be. See step 6 below.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000416
417#. The suite is executed.
418
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000419#. The context manager's :meth:`__exit__` method is invoked. If an exception
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000420 caused the suite to be exited, its type, value, and traceback are passed as
421 arguments to :meth:`__exit__`. Otherwise, three :const:`None` arguments are
422 supplied.
423
424 If the suite was exited due to an exception, and the return value from the
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000425 :meth:`__exit__` method was false, the exception is reraised. If the return
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000426 value was true, the exception is suppressed, and execution continues with the
427 statement following the :keyword:`with` statement.
428
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000429 If the suite was exited for any reason other than an exception, the return
430 value from :meth:`__exit__` is ignored, and execution proceeds at the normal
431 location for the kind of exit that was taken.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000432
Georg Brandl0c315622009-05-25 21:10:36 +0000433With more than one item, the context managers are processed as if multiple
434:keyword:`with` statements were nested::
435
436 with A() as a, B() as b:
437 suite
438
439is equivalent to ::
440
441 with A() as a:
442 with B() as b:
443 suite
444
445.. versionchanged:: 3.1
446 Support for multiple context expressions.
447
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000448.. seealso::
449
Serhiy Storchakae4ba8722016-03-31 15:30:54 +0300450 :pep:`343` - The "with" statement
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000451 The specification, background, and examples for the Python :keyword:`with`
452 statement.
453
454
Chris Jerdonekb4309942012-12-25 14:54:44 -0800455.. index::
456 single: parameter; function definition
457
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000458.. _function:
Christian Heimes5b5e81c2007-12-31 16:14:33 +0000459.. _def:
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000460
461Function definitions
462====================
463
464.. index::
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000465 statement: def
Christian Heimesfaf2f632008-01-06 16:59:19 +0000466 pair: function; definition
467 pair: function; name
468 pair: name; binding
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000469 object: user-defined function
470 object: function
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000471 pair: function; name
472 pair: name; binding
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200473 single: () (parentheses); function definition
474 single: , (comma); parameter list
475 single: : (colon); compound statement
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000476
477A function definition defines a user-defined function object (see section
478:ref:`types`):
479
480.. productionlist::
Andrés Delfinocaccca782018-07-07 17:24:46 -0300481 funcdef: [`decorators`] "def" `funcname` "(" [`parameter_list`] ")"
482 : ["->" `expression`] ":" `suite`
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000483 decorators: `decorator`+
Benjamin Petersonbc7ee432016-05-16 23:18:33 -0700484 decorator: "@" `dotted_name` ["(" [`argument_list` [","]] ")"] NEWLINE
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000485 dotted_name: `identifier` ("." `identifier`)*
Pablo Galindo29cb21d2019-05-29 22:59:00 +0100486 parameter_list: `defparameter` ("," `defparameter`)* "," "/" ["," [`parameter_list_no_posonly`]]
Pablo Galindob76302d2019-05-29 00:45:32 +0100487 : | `parameter_list_no_posonly`
488 parameter_list_no_posonly: `defparameter` ("," `defparameter`)* ["," [`parameter_list_starargs`]]
489 : | `parameter_list_starargs`
Robert Collinsdf395992015-08-12 08:00:06 +1200490 parameter_list_starargs: "*" [`parameter`] ("," `defparameter`)* ["," ["**" `parameter` [","]]]
Andrés Delfinocaccca782018-07-07 17:24:46 -0300491 : | "**" `parameter` [","]
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000492 parameter: `identifier` [":" `expression`]
493 defparameter: `parameter` ["=" `expression`]
494 funcname: `identifier`
495
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000496
497A function definition is an executable statement. Its execution binds the
498function name in the current local namespace to a function object (a wrapper
499around the executable code for the function). This function object contains a
500reference to the current global namespace as the global namespace to be used
501when the function is called.
502
503The function definition does not execute the function body; this gets executed
Georg Brandl3dbca812008-07-23 16:10:53 +0000504only when the function is called. [#]_
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000505
Christian Heimesdae2a892008-04-19 00:55:37 +0000506.. index::
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200507 single: @ (at); function definition
Christian Heimesdae2a892008-04-19 00:55:37 +0000508
Christian Heimesd8654cf2007-12-02 15:22:16 +0000509A function definition may be wrapped by one or more :term:`decorator` expressions.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000510Decorator expressions are evaluated when the function is defined, in the scope
511that contains the function definition. The result must be a callable, which is
512invoked with the function object as the only argument. The returned value is
513bound to the function name instead of the function object. Multiple decorators
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000514are applied in nested fashion. For example, the following code ::
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000515
516 @f1(arg)
517 @f2
518 def func(): pass
519
Berker Peksag6cafece2016-08-03 10:17:21 +0300520is roughly equivalent to ::
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000521
522 def func(): pass
523 func = f1(arg)(f2(func))
524
Berker Peksag6cafece2016-08-03 10:17:21 +0300525except that the original function is not temporarily bound to the name ``func``.
526
Chris Jerdonekb4309942012-12-25 14:54:44 -0800527.. index::
528 triple: default; parameter; value
529 single: argument; function definition
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200530 single: = (equals); function definition
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000531
Chris Jerdonekb4309942012-12-25 14:54:44 -0800532When one or more :term:`parameters <parameter>` have the form *parameter* ``=``
533*expression*, the function is said to have "default parameter values." For a
534parameter with a default value, the corresponding :term:`argument` may be
535omitted from a call, in which
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000536case the parameter's default value is substituted. If a parameter has a default
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000537value, all following parameters up until the "``*``" must also have a default
538value --- this is a syntactic restriction that is not expressed by the grammar.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000539
Benjamin Peterson1ef876c2013-02-10 09:29:59 -0500540**Default parameter values are evaluated from left to right when the function
541definition is executed.** This means that the expression is evaluated once, when
542the function is defined, and that the same "pre-computed" value is used for each
543call. This is especially important to understand when a default parameter is a
544mutable object, such as a list or a dictionary: if the function modifies the
545object (e.g. by appending an item to a list), the default value is in effect
546modified. This is generally not what was intended. A way around this is to use
547``None`` as the default, and explicitly test for it in the body of the function,
548e.g.::
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000549
550 def whats_on_the_telly(penguin=None):
551 if penguin is None:
552 penguin = []
553 penguin.append("property of the zoo")
554 return penguin
555
Christian Heimesdae2a892008-04-19 00:55:37 +0000556.. index::
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200557 single: * (asterisk); function definition
Serhiy Storchakaddb961d2018-10-26 09:00:49 +0300558 single: **; function definition
Christian Heimesdae2a892008-04-19 00:55:37 +0000559
560Function call semantics are described in more detail in section :ref:`calls`. A
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000561function call always assigns values to all parameters mentioned in the parameter
562list, either from position arguments, from keyword arguments, or from default
563values. If the form "``*identifier``" is present, it is initialized to a tuple
Eric Snowb957b0c2016-09-08 13:59:58 -0700564receiving any excess positional parameters, defaulting to the empty tuple.
565If the form "``**identifier``" is present, it is initialized to a new
566ordered mapping receiving any excess keyword arguments, defaulting to a
567new empty mapping of the same type. Parameters after "``*``" or
568"``*identifier``" are keyword-only parameters and may only be passed
569used keyword arguments.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000570
Serhiy Storchakaddb961d2018-10-26 09:00:49 +0300571.. index::
572 pair: function; annotations
573 single: ->; function annotations
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200574 single: : (colon); function annotations
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000575
Cheryl Sabellab7105c92018-12-24 00:09:09 -0500576Parameters may have an :term:`annotation <function annotation>` of the form "``: expression``"
577following the parameter name. Any parameter may have an annotation, even those of the form
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000578``*identifier`` or ``**identifier``. Functions may have "return" annotation of
579the form "``-> expression``" after the parameter list. These annotations can be
Guido van Rossum95e4d582018-01-26 08:20:18 -0800580any valid Python expression. The presence of annotations does not change the
581semantics of a function. The annotation values are available as values of
582a dictionary keyed by the parameters' names in the :attr:`__annotations__`
583attribute of the function object. If the ``annotations`` import from
584:mod:`__future__` is used, annotations are preserved as strings at runtime which
585enables postponed evaluation. Otherwise, they are evaluated when the function
586definition is executed. In this case annotations may be evaluated in
587a different order than they appear in the source code.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000588
Georg Brandl242e6a02013-10-06 10:28:39 +0200589.. index:: pair: lambda; expression
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000590
591It is also possible to create anonymous functions (functions not bound to a
Georg Brandl242e6a02013-10-06 10:28:39 +0200592name), for immediate use in expressions. This uses lambda expressions, described in
593section :ref:`lambda`. Note that the lambda expression is merely a shorthand for a
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000594simplified function definition; a function defined in a ":keyword:`def`"
595statement can be passed around or assigned to another name just like a function
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200596defined by a lambda expression. The ":keyword:`!def`" form is actually more powerful
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000597since it allows the execution of multiple statements and annotations.
598
Georg Brandl242e6a02013-10-06 10:28:39 +0200599**Programmer's note:** Functions are first-class objects. A "``def``" statement
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000600executed inside a function definition defines a local function that can be
601returned or passed around. Free variables used in the nested function can
602access the local variables of the function containing the def. See section
603:ref:`naming` for details.
604
Georg Brandl64a40942012-03-10 09:22:47 +0100605.. seealso::
606
607 :pep:`3107` - Function Annotations
608 The original specification for function annotations.
609
Guido van Rossum95e4d582018-01-26 08:20:18 -0800610 :pep:`484` - Type Hints
611 Definition of a standard meaning for annotations: type hints.
612
613 :pep:`526` - Syntax for Variable Annotations
614 Ability to type hint variable declarations, including class
615 variables and instance variables
616
617 :pep:`563` - Postponed Evaluation of Annotations
618 Support for forward references within annotations by preserving
619 annotations in a string form at runtime instead of eager evaluation.
620
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000621
622.. _class:
623
624Class definitions
625=================
626
627.. index::
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000628 object: class
Christian Heimesfaf2f632008-01-06 16:59:19 +0000629 statement: class
630 pair: class; definition
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000631 pair: class; name
632 pair: name; binding
633 pair: execution; frame
Christian Heimesfaf2f632008-01-06 16:59:19 +0000634 single: inheritance
Georg Brandl3dbca812008-07-23 16:10:53 +0000635 single: docstring
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200636 single: () (parentheses); class definition
637 single: , (comma); expression list
638 single: : (colon); compound statement
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000639
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000640A class definition defines a class object (see section :ref:`types`):
641
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000642.. productionlist::
643 classdef: [`decorators`] "class" `classname` [`inheritance`] ":" `suite`
Benjamin Peterson54044d62016-05-16 23:20:22 -0700644 inheritance: "(" [`argument_list`] ")"
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000645 classname: `identifier`
646
Georg Brandl65e5f802010-08-02 18:10:13 +0000647A class definition is an executable statement. The inheritance list usually
648gives a list of base classes (see :ref:`metaclasses` for more advanced uses), so
649each item in the list should evaluate to a class object which allows
Éric Araujo28053fb2010-11-22 03:09:19 +0000650subclassing. Classes without an inheritance list inherit, by default, from the
651base class :class:`object`; hence, ::
652
653 class Foo:
654 pass
655
656is equivalent to ::
657
658 class Foo(object):
659 pass
Georg Brandl65e5f802010-08-02 18:10:13 +0000660
661The class's suite is then executed in a new execution frame (see :ref:`naming`),
662using a newly created local namespace and the original global namespace.
663(Usually, the suite contains mostly function definitions.) When the class's
664suite finishes execution, its execution frame is discarded but its local
665namespace is saved. [#]_ A class object is then created using the inheritance
666list for the base classes and the saved local namespace for the attribute
667dictionary. The class name is bound to this class object in the original local
668namespace.
669
Eric Snow92a6c172016-09-05 14:50:11 -0700670The order in which attributes are defined in the class body is preserved
Eric Snow4f29e752016-09-08 15:11:11 -0700671in the new class's ``__dict__``. Note that this is reliable only right
672after the class is created and only for classes that were defined using
673the definition syntax.
Eric Snow92a6c172016-09-05 14:50:11 -0700674
Georg Brandl65e5f802010-08-02 18:10:13 +0000675Class creation can be customized heavily using :ref:`metaclasses <metaclasses>`.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000676
Serhiy Storchakaddb961d2018-10-26 09:00:49 +0300677.. index::
Serhiy Storchaka913876d2018-10-28 13:41:26 +0200678 single: @ (at); class definition
Serhiy Storchakaddb961d2018-10-26 09:00:49 +0300679
Georg Brandlf4142722010-10-17 10:38:20 +0000680Classes can also be decorated: just like when decorating functions, ::
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000681
682 @f1(arg)
683 @f2
684 class Foo: pass
685
Berker Peksag6cafece2016-08-03 10:17:21 +0300686is roughly equivalent to ::
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000687
688 class Foo: pass
689 Foo = f1(arg)(f2(Foo))
690
Georg Brandlf4142722010-10-17 10:38:20 +0000691The evaluation rules for the decorator expressions are the same as for function
Berker Peksag6cafece2016-08-03 10:17:21 +0300692decorators. The result is then bound to the class name.
Georg Brandlf4142722010-10-17 10:38:20 +0000693
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000694**Programmer's note:** Variables defined in the class definition are class
Georg Brandl65e5f802010-08-02 18:10:13 +0000695attributes; they are shared by instances. Instance attributes can be set in a
696method with ``self.name = value``. Both class and instance attributes are
697accessible through the notation "``self.name``", and an instance attribute hides
698a class attribute with the same name when accessed in this way. Class
699attributes can be used as defaults for instance attributes, but using mutable
700values there can lead to unexpected results. :ref:`Descriptors <descriptors>`
701can be used to create instance variables with different implementation details.
Georg Brandl85eb8c12007-08-31 16:33:38 +0000702
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000703
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000704.. seealso::
705
Andrés Delfino0f14fc12018-10-19 20:31:15 -0300706 :pep:`3115` - Metaclasses in Python 3000
707 The proposal that changed the declaration of metaclasses to the current
708 syntax, and the semantics for how classes with metaclasses are
709 constructed.
710
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000711 :pep:`3129` - Class Decorators
Andrés Delfino0f14fc12018-10-19 20:31:15 -0300712 The proposal that added class decorators. Function and method decorators
713 were introduced in :pep:`318`.
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000714
Georg Brandl02c30562007-09-07 17:52:53 +0000715
Elvis Pranskevichus63536bd2018-05-19 23:15:06 -0400716.. _async:
717
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400718Coroutines
719==========
720
Yury Selivanov5376ba92015-06-22 12:19:30 -0400721.. versionadded:: 3.5
722
Yury Selivanov66f88282015-06-24 11:04:15 -0400723.. index:: statement: async def
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400724.. _`async def`:
725
726Coroutine function definition
727-----------------------------
728
729.. productionlist::
Andrés Delfinocaccca782018-07-07 17:24:46 -0300730 async_funcdef: [`decorators`] "async" "def" `funcname` "(" [`parameter_list`] ")"
731 : ["->" `expression`] ":" `suite`
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400732
Yury Selivanov66f88282015-06-24 11:04:15 -0400733.. index::
734 keyword: async
735 keyword: await
736
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400737Execution of Python coroutines can be suspended and resumed at many points
Andrés Delfino95f68b12018-10-28 07:41:57 -0300738(see :term:`coroutine`). Inside the body of a coroutine function, ``await`` and
Yury Selivanov66f88282015-06-24 11:04:15 -0400739``async`` identifiers become reserved keywords; :keyword:`await` expressions,
740:keyword:`async for` and :keyword:`async with` can only be used in
Andrés Delfino95f68b12018-10-28 07:41:57 -0300741coroutine function bodies.
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400742
743Functions defined with ``async def`` syntax are always coroutine functions,
744even if they do not contain ``await`` or ``async`` keywords.
745
Andrés Delfino95f68b12018-10-28 07:41:57 -0300746It is a :exc:`SyntaxError` to use a ``yield from`` expression inside the body
747of a coroutine function.
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400748
Yury Selivanov5376ba92015-06-22 12:19:30 -0400749An example of a coroutine function::
750
751 async def func(param1, param2):
752 do_stuff()
753 await some_coroutine()
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400754
755
Yury Selivanov66f88282015-06-24 11:04:15 -0400756.. index:: statement: async for
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400757.. _`async for`:
758
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200759The :keyword:`!async for` statement
760-----------------------------------
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400761
762.. productionlist::
763 async_for_stmt: "async" `for_stmt`
764
765An :term:`asynchronous iterable` is able to call asynchronous code in its
766*iter* implementation, and :term:`asynchronous iterator` can call asynchronous
767code in its *next* method.
768
769The ``async for`` statement allows convenient iteration over asynchronous
770iterators.
771
772The following code::
773
774 async for TARGET in ITER:
775 BLOCK
776 else:
777 BLOCK2
778
779Is semantically equivalent to::
780
781 iter = (ITER)
Yury Selivanova6f6edb2016-06-09 15:08:31 -0400782 iter = type(iter).__aiter__(iter)
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400783 running = True
784 while running:
785 try:
786 TARGET = await type(iter).__anext__(iter)
787 except StopAsyncIteration:
788 running = False
789 else:
790 BLOCK
791 else:
792 BLOCK2
793
794See also :meth:`__aiter__` and :meth:`__anext__` for details.
795
Andrés Delfino95f68b12018-10-28 07:41:57 -0300796It is a :exc:`SyntaxError` to use an ``async for`` statement outside the
797body of a coroutine function.
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400798
799
Yury Selivanov66f88282015-06-24 11:04:15 -0400800.. index:: statement: async with
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400801.. _`async with`:
802
Serhiy Storchaka2b57c432018-12-19 08:09:46 +0200803The :keyword:`!async with` statement
804------------------------------------
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400805
806.. productionlist::
807 async_with_stmt: "async" `with_stmt`
808
809An :term:`asynchronous context manager` is a :term:`context manager` that is
810able to suspend execution in its *enter* and *exit* methods.
811
812The following code::
813
814 async with EXPR as VAR:
815 BLOCK
816
817Is semantically equivalent to::
818
819 mgr = (EXPR)
820 aexit = type(mgr).__aexit__
821 aenter = type(mgr).__aenter__(mgr)
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400822
823 VAR = await aenter
824 try:
825 BLOCK
826 except:
827 if not await aexit(mgr, *sys.exc_info()):
828 raise
829 else:
830 await aexit(mgr, None, None, None)
831
832See also :meth:`__aenter__` and :meth:`__aexit__` for details.
833
Andrés Delfino95f68b12018-10-28 07:41:57 -0300834It is a :exc:`SyntaxError` to use an ``async with`` statement outside the
835body of a coroutine function.
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400836
837.. seealso::
838
839 :pep:`492` - Coroutines with async and await syntax
Andrés Delfino0f14fc12018-10-19 20:31:15 -0300840 The proposal that made coroutines a proper standalone concept in Python,
841 and added supporting syntax.
Yury Selivanovf3e40fa2015-05-21 11:50:30 -0400842
843
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000844.. rubric:: Footnotes
845
Ezio Melottifc3db8a2011-06-26 11:25:28 +0300846.. [#] The exception is propagated to the invocation stack unless
847 there is a :keyword:`finally` clause which happens to raise another
848 exception. That new exception causes the old one to be lost.
Georg Brandl116aa622007-08-15 14:28:22 +0000849
Georg Brandl3dbca812008-07-23 16:10:53 +0000850.. [#] A string literal appearing as the first statement in the function body is
851 transformed into the function's ``__doc__`` attribute and therefore the
852 function's :term:`docstring`.
853
854.. [#] A string literal appearing as the first statement in the class body is
855 transformed into the namespace's ``__doc__`` item and therefore the class's
856 :term:`docstring`.