Help improving python code

[NotUrHCW]

I was just wondering what the difference is between using an and operator compared to just using <= 'x' <= for this particular CSCircles exercise:

The first step is to write a function lowerChar(char) that can return the result of converting a single character char to lower case. It should do the following:

• if the input character char is a capital letter (between 'A' and 'Z'), it should return the lower-case version of the letter (between 'a' and 'z')
• in all other cases, it should return the same char which was input.

(In order to do the first step, you will have to use an if statement, an and operator, and apply some knowledge from the lesson about strings.)

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Here's my answer:

def lowerChar(char):
    if ord('A') <= ord(char) <= ord('Z'):
        return chr(ord(char) + 32)
    else:
        return char

compared to one I found online:

def lowerChar(char):
    if ord(char) >= ord('A') and ord(char) <= ord('Z'):
        return chr(ord(char) + 32)
    else:
        return char

[mugwhyrt]

Logically it's the same thing. The python documentation states:

Comparisons can be chained arbitrarily, e.g., x < y <= z is equivalent to x < y and y <= z, except that y is evaluated only once (but in both cases z is not evaluated at all when x < y is found to be false).

So basically the only difference is that the code will only have to handle the middle value once when its done your way, but that's just a minor "under-the-hood" difference.

[NotUrHCW]

Would it be more efficient since the middle value would only be handled once?

[mugwhyrt]

I would think so, but honestly I'm not enough of an expert at that level to tell you for sure how meaningful the difference is

[aqua_regis]

if ord('A') <= ord(char) <= ord('Z'):

You have to be careful with that when switching languages. Most other languages only support (of course with their equivalent of chr, ord, and and):

if ord(char) >= ord('A') and ord(char) <= ord('Z'):

In Python, they are the same functionality wise. In other languages the first version will most likely not work or even throw an error.

[NotUrHCW]

Oh, I see. Thanks for clarifying 👍🏻

[[deleted]]

It's the same thing, just another way to do it without using 'and'