Break one line of "if else" statement into multiple lines

Question

I want to break this code:

ex = func(object) if not self.is_object() else foo()

to multiple lines (pep 8). What is the best way to do it? I thought about this:

ex = func(object) \
    if not self.is_object() \
    else foo()

But this seems a bit ugly and not very neat. Is there another way?

Edit: This is different from just breaking a line into multiple lines, because this is a special "expression if stmnt else stmnt" and not just breaking any python code.

It's not that special; it's just a ternary operator `... if ... else ...` as opposed to a binary operator `... + ...`. — chepner, Sep 28 '16 at 16:59

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 28 '16 at 16:53

5

What exactly is ugly here? Backslashes? There's a way to avoid them
To split a statement into multiple lines, use parentheses around the conditional like so:

ex = (func(object)
      if not self.is_object()
      else foo())

But perhaps it would be better to write an entire conditional structure:

if not self.is_object():
    ex = func(object)
else:
    ex = foo()

answered Sep 28 '16 at 16:53

illright

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I think you're right. I'll just stay in the regular way. thanks. – TzurEl Sep 28 '16 at 16:58

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 28 '16 at 16:53

0

The best way to break that into multiple lines is as follows:

if not self.is_object():
    ex = func(object)
else:
    ex = foo()

If you don't need it to be contained in a single expression, you might as well use a traditional if..else block.

answered Sep 28 '16 at 16:53

TigerhawkT3

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score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 28 '16 at 16:54

If you absolutely must avoid the ternary expression (many people seem to dislike them) the canonical method would be neater:

if self.is_object():
    ex = foo()
else:
    ex = func(object)

which has the advantage that any Python programmer can read it without wondering what on Earth is going on!

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 28 '16 at 16:55

0

Might be best to break it into an if statement if it doesn't fit onto one line:

if self.is_object():
    ex = foo()
else:
    ex = func(object)

Or you can use parentheses:

ex = (func(object)
       if not self.is_object()
       else foo())

answered Sep 28 '16 at 16:55

flornquake

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Break one line of "if else" statement into multiple lines

4 Answers4