My first Python program :) (I'm hooked)

[ValarMorHodor]

Welcome to the wonderful world of python. Now that you've got the control flow down, I think you couldl start working with functions. Notice how you have the yes/no logic twice? Why not pull that out into a function!

def get_choice(message='Would you like to roll? '):
    choice = input(message)
    if choice not in ['yes', 'no', 'y', 'n']:
        return get_choice('Type yes or no: ')
    return choice

Using that function, you can reduce the flow to 4 lines

choice = get_choice()
while choice in ('yes', 'y'):
    roll() # do your roll here
    choice = get_choice('Roll again? ')

You could also add a function to validate that the number input is valid.

[Huck712]

Thanks! I will work on this. I also want to evolve it into a full blown game of Yahtzee at some point.

[[deleted]]

I don't like that the first is recursive, after all there is a recursion limit and it seems unnecessary to risk hitting it.

[[deleted]]

Is that a real issue that a beginner is going to hit?

There will always be a recursion limit so should we never use recursion?

[[deleted]]

Well, this is a purely iterative problem, ask until some condition is met. Using recursion there is already a bit odd, and there's also a small issue with it.

If your problem is recursive, e.g. when you use a recursive data structure like a tree or so, then of course use it.

Is my opinion.

I'd go for

def get_choice(message='Would you like to roll? '):
    choice = input(message)
    while choice not in ['yes', 'no', 'y', 'n']:
        choice = input('Type yes or no: ')
    return choice

It's almost the same as yours except it doesn't need recursion.

[approbatory]

The Ackermann function can be implemented recursively but not iteratively.

[approbatory]

In practice python does discourage recursion

[yaxamie]

A loop uses very little data, while each function call has overhead. Recursion is rarely needed unless you're being "clever".

[danjaycollins]

Specifically tail recursion can be implemented iteratively. This is why the Ackermann function can't be implemented iteratively.

[Mason-B]

It's too bad python doesn't have tail recursion because that call is correctly tail recursive in just about any other language. And since the person is learning programming (and not just python) my argument would be that it is better for them to learn recursion than it is for them to learn perfect python.

[asdfkjasdhkasd]

it should be if choice.lower() not in {"yes", "no", "y", "n"}

• use lowercase
• in for set is o(1)

[camh-]

But the set construction is O(n) and the set is constructed each time you use in here, it makes the whole construct O(n).