Python truthiness - Different behavior between different checks - python

I went through Truthiness in Python and understood that [] and similar empty objects are interpreted as False in Python.
But when I type in the following in REPL, it returns False:
>>> [] == False
False
How is this possible?


Because == doesn't check truthiness, it checks equality. Those two objects are of different types, so they are not equal.
If you want to explicitly see the truthiness of an object, convert it to bool:
>>> bool([])
False
Note you would never do this in real code, because the point of truthiness is that the conversion is implict. Rather, you would do:
if my_value:
...do something...


because == returns equality if the object equals to other...
in this case [] isnt None just an empty array
e.g.:
if variable:
print "true"
else:
print "false"
if variable is empty string ('')or empty array ([]) this prints out false.
if variable == None:
print "true"
else:
print "false"
if variable is empty string ('') or empty array ([]) this prints out fasle, because its not None type (its type equals str or list).
==:
returns True if 2 variables are equal
if :
returns True if variable is not None and ist not empty instance (like empty array or string)

Related

Does the if-statement in python accept other datatypes than boolean? [duplicate]

I just learned there are truthy and falsy values in python which are different from the normal True and False.
Can someone please explain in depth what truthy and falsy values are? Where should I use them? What is the difference between truthy and True values and falsy and False values?

We use "truthy" and "falsy" to differentiate from the bool values True and False. A "truthy" value will satisfy the check performed by if or while statements. As explained in the documentation, all values are considered "truthy" except for the following, which are "falsy":
None
False
Numbers that are numerically equal to zero, including:
0
0.0
0j
decimal.Decimal(0)
fraction.Fraction(0, 1)
Empty sequences and collections, including:
[] - an empty list
{} - an empty dict
() - an empty tuple
set() - an empty set
'' - an empty str
b'' - an empty bytes
bytearray(b'') - an empty bytearray
memoryview(b'') - an empty memoryview
an empty range, like range(0)
objects for which
obj.__bool__() returns False
obj.__len__() returns 0, given that obj.__bool__ is undefined

As the comments described, it just refers to values which are evaluated to True or False.
For instance, to see if a list is not empty, instead of checking like this:
if len(my_list) != 0:
print("Not empty!")
You can simply do this:
if my_list:
print("Not empty!")
This is because some values, such as empty lists, are considered False when evaluated for a boolean value. Non-empty lists are True.
Similarly for the integer 0, the empty string "", and so on, for False, and non-zero integers, non-empty strings, and so on, for True.
The idea of terms like "truthy" and "falsy" simply refer to those values which are considered True in cases like those described above, and those which are considered False.
For example, an empty list ([]) is considered "falsy", and a non-empty list (for example, [1]) is considered "truthy".
See also this section of the documentation.

Python determines the truthiness by applying bool() to the type, which returns True or False which is used in an expression like if or while.
Here is an example for a custom class Vector2dand it's instance returning False when the magnitude (lenght of a vector) is 0, otherwise True.
import math
class Vector2d(object):
def __init__(self, x, y):
self.x = float(x)
self.y = float(y)
def __abs__(self):
return math.hypot(self.x, self.y)
def __bool__(self):
return bool(abs(self))
a = Vector2d(0,0)
print(bool(a)) #False
b = Vector2d(10,0)
print(bool(b)) #True
Note: If we wouldn't have defined __bool__ it would always return True, as instances of a user-defined class are considered truthy by default.
Example from the book: "Fluent in Python, clear, concise and effective programming"

Truthy values refer to the objects used in a boolean context and not so much the boolean value that returns true or false.Take these as an example:
>>> bool([])
False
>>> bool([1])
True
>>> bool('')
False
>>> bool('hello')
True

Where should you use Truthy or Falsy values ?
These are syntactic sugar, so you can always avoid them, but using them can make your code more readable and make you more efficient.
Moreover, you will find them in many code examples, whether in python or not, because it is considered good practice.
As mentioned in the other answers, you can use them in if tests and while loops. Here are two other examples in python 3 with default values combined with or, s being a string variable. You will extend to similar situations as well.
Without truthy
if len(s) > 0:
print(s)
else:
print('Default value')
with truthy it is more concise:
print(s or 'Default value')
In python 3.8, we can take advantage of the assignment expression :=
without truthy
if len(s) == 0:
s = 'Default value'
do_something(s)
with truthy it is shorter too
s or (s := 'Default value')
do_something(s)
or even shorter,
do_something(s or (s := 'Default value'))
Without the assignment expression, one can do
s = s or 'Default value'
do_something(s)
but not shorter. Some people find the s =... line unsatisfactory because it corresponds to
if len(s)>0:
s = s # HERE is an extra useless assignment
else:
s = "Default value"
nevertheless you can adhere to this coding style if you feel comfortable with it.

Any object in Python can be tested for its truth value. It can be used in an if or while condition or as operand of the Boolean operations.
The following values are considered False:
None
False
zero of any numeric type, for example, 0, 0L, 0.0, 0j.
any empty sequence, for example, '', (), [].
any empty mapping, for example, {}.
instances of user-defined classes, if the class defines a __nonzero__() or __len__() method, when that method returns the integer zero or bool value False.
All other values are considered True -- thus objects of many types are always true.
Operations and built-in functions that have a Boolean result always return 0 or False for false and 1 or True for true, unless otherwise stated.

In case of if (!id) {}
!expr returns false if its single operand can be converted to true; otherwise, returns true.
If a value can be converted to true, the value is so-called truthy. If a value can be converted to false, the value is so-called falsy.
Examples of expressions that can be converted to false are:
null;
NaN;
0;
empty string ("" or '' or ``);
undefined.
Even though the ! operator can be used with operands that are not Boolean values, it can still be considered a boolean operator since its return value can always be converted to a boolean primitive. To explicitly convert its return value (or any expression in general) to the corresponding boolean value, use a double NOT operator or the Boolean constructor.
Example:
n1 = !null // !t returns true
n2 = !NaN // !f returns true
n3 = !'' // !f returns true
n4 = !'Cat' // !t returns false
While in case of if (id != null) {} it will only check if the value in id is not equal to null
reference https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Logical_NOT

Falsy means something empty like empty list,tuple, as any datatype having empty values or None.
Truthy means :
Except are Truthy

Why does a string inside "If" condition returns True [duplicate]

I just learned there are truthy and falsy values in python which are different from the normal True and False.
Can someone please explain in depth what truthy and falsy values are? Where should I use them? What is the difference between truthy and True values and falsy and False values?

We use "truthy" and "falsy" to differentiate from the bool values True and False. A "truthy" value will satisfy the check performed by if or while statements. As explained in the documentation, all values are considered "truthy" except for the following, which are "falsy":
None
False
Numbers that are numerically equal to zero, including:
0
0.0
0j
decimal.Decimal(0)
fraction.Fraction(0, 1)
Empty sequences and collections, including:
[] - an empty list
{} - an empty dict
() - an empty tuple
set() - an empty set
'' - an empty str
b'' - an empty bytes
bytearray(b'') - an empty bytearray
memoryview(b'') - an empty memoryview
an empty range, like range(0)
objects for which
obj.__bool__() returns False
obj.__len__() returns 0, given that obj.__bool__ is undefined

As the comments described, it just refers to values which are evaluated to True or False.
For instance, to see if a list is not empty, instead of checking like this:
if len(my_list) != 0:
print("Not empty!")
You can simply do this:
if my_list:
print("Not empty!")
This is because some values, such as empty lists, are considered False when evaluated for a boolean value. Non-empty lists are True.
Similarly for the integer 0, the empty string "", and so on, for False, and non-zero integers, non-empty strings, and so on, for True.
The idea of terms like "truthy" and "falsy" simply refer to those values which are considered True in cases like those described above, and those which are considered False.
For example, an empty list ([]) is considered "falsy", and a non-empty list (for example, [1]) is considered "truthy".
See also this section of the documentation.

Python determines the truthiness by applying bool() to the type, which returns True or False which is used in an expression like if or while.
Here is an example for a custom class Vector2dand it's instance returning False when the magnitude (lenght of a vector) is 0, otherwise True.
import math
class Vector2d(object):
def __init__(self, x, y):
self.x = float(x)
self.y = float(y)
def __abs__(self):
return math.hypot(self.x, self.y)
def __bool__(self):
return bool(abs(self))
a = Vector2d(0,0)
print(bool(a)) #False
b = Vector2d(10,0)
print(bool(b)) #True
Note: If we wouldn't have defined __bool__ it would always return True, as instances of a user-defined class are considered truthy by default.
Example from the book: "Fluent in Python, clear, concise and effective programming"

Truthy values refer to the objects used in a boolean context and not so much the boolean value that returns true or false.Take these as an example:
>>> bool([])
False
>>> bool([1])
True
>>> bool('')
False
>>> bool('hello')
True

Where should you use Truthy or Falsy values ?
These are syntactic sugar, so you can always avoid them, but using them can make your code more readable and make you more efficient.
Moreover, you will find them in many code examples, whether in python or not, because it is considered good practice.
As mentioned in the other answers, you can use them in if tests and while loops. Here are two other examples in python 3 with default values combined with or, s being a string variable. You will extend to similar situations as well.
Without truthy
if len(s) > 0:
print(s)
else:
print('Default value')
with truthy it is more concise:
print(s or 'Default value')
In python 3.8, we can take advantage of the assignment expression :=
without truthy
if len(s) == 0:
s = 'Default value'
do_something(s)
with truthy it is shorter too
s or (s := 'Default value')
do_something(s)
or even shorter,
do_something(s or (s := 'Default value'))
Without the assignment expression, one can do
s = s or 'Default value'
do_something(s)
but not shorter. Some people find the s =... line unsatisfactory because it corresponds to
if len(s)>0:
s = s # HERE is an extra useless assignment
else:
s = "Default value"
nevertheless you can adhere to this coding style if you feel comfortable with it.

Any object in Python can be tested for its truth value. It can be used in an if or while condition or as operand of the Boolean operations.
The following values are considered False:
None
False
zero of any numeric type, for example, 0, 0L, 0.0, 0j.
any empty sequence, for example, '', (), [].
any empty mapping, for example, {}.
instances of user-defined classes, if the class defines a __nonzero__() or __len__() method, when that method returns the integer zero or bool value False.
All other values are considered True -- thus objects of many types are always true.
Operations and built-in functions that have a Boolean result always return 0 or False for false and 1 or True for true, unless otherwise stated.

In case of if (!id) {}
!expr returns false if its single operand can be converted to true; otherwise, returns true.
If a value can be converted to true, the value is so-called truthy. If a value can be converted to false, the value is so-called falsy.
Examples of expressions that can be converted to false are:
null;
NaN;
0;
empty string ("" or '' or ``);
undefined.
Even though the ! operator can be used with operands that are not Boolean values, it can still be considered a boolean operator since its return value can always be converted to a boolean primitive. To explicitly convert its return value (or any expression in general) to the corresponding boolean value, use a double NOT operator or the Boolean constructor.
Example:
n1 = !null // !t returns true
n2 = !NaN // !f returns true
n3 = !'' // !f returns true
n4 = !'Cat' // !t returns false
While in case of if (id != null) {} it will only check if the value in id is not equal to null
reference https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Logical_NOT

Falsy means something empty like empty list,tuple, as any datatype having empty values or None.
Truthy means :
Except are Truthy

Python while loop - without condition? [duplicate]

I just learned there are truthy and falsy values in python which are different from the normal True and False.
Can someone please explain in depth what truthy and falsy values are? Where should I use them? What is the difference between truthy and True values and falsy and False values?

We use "truthy" and "falsy" to differentiate from the bool values True and False. A "truthy" value will satisfy the check performed by if or while statements. As explained in the documentation, all values are considered "truthy" except for the following, which are "falsy":
None
False
Numbers that are numerically equal to zero, including:
0
0.0
0j
decimal.Decimal(0)
fraction.Fraction(0, 1)
Empty sequences and collections, including:
[] - an empty list
{} - an empty dict
() - an empty tuple
set() - an empty set
'' - an empty str
b'' - an empty bytes
bytearray(b'') - an empty bytearray
memoryview(b'') - an empty memoryview
an empty range, like range(0)
objects for which
obj.__bool__() returns False
obj.__len__() returns 0, given that obj.__bool__ is undefined

As the comments described, it just refers to values which are evaluated to True or False.
For instance, to see if a list is not empty, instead of checking like this:
if len(my_list) != 0:
print("Not empty!")
You can simply do this:
if my_list:
print("Not empty!")
This is because some values, such as empty lists, are considered False when evaluated for a boolean value. Non-empty lists are True.
Similarly for the integer 0, the empty string "", and so on, for False, and non-zero integers, non-empty strings, and so on, for True.
The idea of terms like "truthy" and "falsy" simply refer to those values which are considered True in cases like those described above, and those which are considered False.
For example, an empty list ([]) is considered "falsy", and a non-empty list (for example, [1]) is considered "truthy".
See also this section of the documentation.

Python determines the truthiness by applying bool() to the type, which returns True or False which is used in an expression like if or while.
Here is an example for a custom class Vector2dand it's instance returning False when the magnitude (lenght of a vector) is 0, otherwise True.
import math
class Vector2d(object):
def __init__(self, x, y):
self.x = float(x)
self.y = float(y)
def __abs__(self):
return math.hypot(self.x, self.y)
def __bool__(self):
return bool(abs(self))
a = Vector2d(0,0)
print(bool(a)) #False
b = Vector2d(10,0)
print(bool(b)) #True
Note: If we wouldn't have defined __bool__ it would always return True, as instances of a user-defined class are considered truthy by default.
Example from the book: "Fluent in Python, clear, concise and effective programming"

Truthy values refer to the objects used in a boolean context and not so much the boolean value that returns true or false.Take these as an example:
>>> bool([])
False
>>> bool([1])
True
>>> bool('')
False
>>> bool('hello')
True

Where should you use Truthy or Falsy values ?
These are syntactic sugar, so you can always avoid them, but using them can make your code more readable and make you more efficient.
Moreover, you will find them in many code examples, whether in python or not, because it is considered good practice.
As mentioned in the other answers, you can use them in if tests and while loops. Here are two other examples in python 3 with default values combined with or, s being a string variable. You will extend to similar situations as well.
Without truthy
if len(s) > 0:
print(s)
else:
print('Default value')
with truthy it is more concise:
print(s or 'Default value')
In python 3.8, we can take advantage of the assignment expression :=
without truthy
if len(s) == 0:
s = 'Default value'
do_something(s)
with truthy it is shorter too
s or (s := 'Default value')
do_something(s)
or even shorter,
do_something(s or (s := 'Default value'))
Without the assignment expression, one can do
s = s or 'Default value'
do_something(s)
but not shorter. Some people find the s =... line unsatisfactory because it corresponds to
if len(s)>0:
s = s # HERE is an extra useless assignment
else:
s = "Default value"
nevertheless you can adhere to this coding style if you feel comfortable with it.

Any object in Python can be tested for its truth value. It can be used in an if or while condition or as operand of the Boolean operations.
The following values are considered False:
None
False
zero of any numeric type, for example, 0, 0L, 0.0, 0j.
any empty sequence, for example, '', (), [].
any empty mapping, for example, {}.
instances of user-defined classes, if the class defines a __nonzero__() or __len__() method, when that method returns the integer zero or bool value False.
All other values are considered True -- thus objects of many types are always true.
Operations and built-in functions that have a Boolean result always return 0 or False for false and 1 or True for true, unless otherwise stated.

In case of if (!id) {}
!expr returns false if its single operand can be converted to true; otherwise, returns true.
If a value can be converted to true, the value is so-called truthy. If a value can be converted to false, the value is so-called falsy.
Examples of expressions that can be converted to false are:
null;
NaN;
0;
empty string ("" or '' or ``);
undefined.
Even though the ! operator can be used with operands that are not Boolean values, it can still be considered a boolean operator since its return value can always be converted to a boolean primitive. To explicitly convert its return value (or any expression in general) to the corresponding boolean value, use a double NOT operator or the Boolean constructor.
Example:
n1 = !null // !t returns true
n2 = !NaN // !f returns true
n3 = !'' // !f returns true
n4 = !'Cat' // !t returns false
While in case of if (id != null) {} it will only check if the value in id is not equal to null
reference https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Logical_NOT

Falsy means something empty like empty list,tuple, as any datatype having empty values or None.
Truthy means :
Except are Truthy

Why the output is the same for every input value except null in python? [duplicate]

I just learned there are truthy and falsy values in python which are different from the normal True and False.
Can someone please explain in depth what truthy and falsy values are? Where should I use them? What is the difference between truthy and True values and falsy and False values?

We use "truthy" and "falsy" to differentiate from the bool values True and False. A "truthy" value will satisfy the check performed by if or while statements. As explained in the documentation, all values are considered "truthy" except for the following, which are "falsy":
None
False
Numbers that are numerically equal to zero, including:
0
0.0
0j
decimal.Decimal(0)
fraction.Fraction(0, 1)
Empty sequences and collections, including:
[] - an empty list
{} - an empty dict
() - an empty tuple
set() - an empty set
'' - an empty str
b'' - an empty bytes
bytearray(b'') - an empty bytearray
memoryview(b'') - an empty memoryview
an empty range, like range(0)
objects for which
obj.__bool__() returns False
obj.__len__() returns 0, given that obj.__bool__ is undefined

As the comments described, it just refers to values which are evaluated to True or False.
For instance, to see if a list is not empty, instead of checking like this:
if len(my_list) != 0:
print("Not empty!")
You can simply do this:
if my_list:
print("Not empty!")
This is because some values, such as empty lists, are considered False when evaluated for a boolean value. Non-empty lists are True.
Similarly for the integer 0, the empty string "", and so on, for False, and non-zero integers, non-empty strings, and so on, for True.
The idea of terms like "truthy" and "falsy" simply refer to those values which are considered True in cases like those described above, and those which are considered False.
For example, an empty list ([]) is considered "falsy", and a non-empty list (for example, [1]) is considered "truthy".
See also this section of the documentation.

Python determines the truthiness by applying bool() to the type, which returns True or False which is used in an expression like if or while.
Here is an example for a custom class Vector2dand it's instance returning False when the magnitude (lenght of a vector) is 0, otherwise True.
import math
class Vector2d(object):
def __init__(self, x, y):
self.x = float(x)
self.y = float(y)
def __abs__(self):
return math.hypot(self.x, self.y)
def __bool__(self):
return bool(abs(self))
a = Vector2d(0,0)
print(bool(a)) #False
b = Vector2d(10,0)
print(bool(b)) #True
Note: If we wouldn't have defined __bool__ it would always return True, as instances of a user-defined class are considered truthy by default.
Example from the book: "Fluent in Python, clear, concise and effective programming"

Truthy values refer to the objects used in a boolean context and not so much the boolean value that returns true or false.Take these as an example:
>>> bool([])
False
>>> bool([1])
True
>>> bool('')
False
>>> bool('hello')
True

Where should you use Truthy or Falsy values ?
These are syntactic sugar, so you can always avoid them, but using them can make your code more readable and make you more efficient.
Moreover, you will find them in many code examples, whether in python or not, because it is considered good practice.
As mentioned in the other answers, you can use them in if tests and while loops. Here are two other examples in python 3 with default values combined with or, s being a string variable. You will extend to similar situations as well.
Without truthy
if len(s) > 0:
print(s)
else:
print('Default value')
with truthy it is more concise:
print(s or 'Default value')
In python 3.8, we can take advantage of the assignment expression :=
without truthy
if len(s) == 0:
s = 'Default value'
do_something(s)
with truthy it is shorter too
s or (s := 'Default value')
do_something(s)
or even shorter,
do_something(s or (s := 'Default value'))
Without the assignment expression, one can do
s = s or 'Default value'
do_something(s)
but not shorter. Some people find the s =... line unsatisfactory because it corresponds to
if len(s)>0:
s = s # HERE is an extra useless assignment
else:
s = "Default value"
nevertheless you can adhere to this coding style if you feel comfortable with it.

Any object in Python can be tested for its truth value. It can be used in an if or while condition or as operand of the Boolean operations.
The following values are considered False:
None
False
zero of any numeric type, for example, 0, 0L, 0.0, 0j.
any empty sequence, for example, '', (), [].
any empty mapping, for example, {}.
instances of user-defined classes, if the class defines a __nonzero__() or __len__() method, when that method returns the integer zero or bool value False.
All other values are considered True -- thus objects of many types are always true.
Operations and built-in functions that have a Boolean result always return 0 or False for false and 1 or True for true, unless otherwise stated.

In case of if (!id) {}
!expr returns false if its single operand can be converted to true; otherwise, returns true.
If a value can be converted to true, the value is so-called truthy. If a value can be converted to false, the value is so-called falsy.
Examples of expressions that can be converted to false are:
null;
NaN;
0;
empty string ("" or '' or ``);
undefined.
Even though the ! operator can be used with operands that are not Boolean values, it can still be considered a boolean operator since its return value can always be converted to a boolean primitive. To explicitly convert its return value (or any expression in general) to the corresponding boolean value, use a double NOT operator or the Boolean constructor.
Example:
n1 = !null // !t returns true
n2 = !NaN // !f returns true
n3 = !'' // !f returns true
n4 = !'Cat' // !t returns false
While in case of if (id != null) {} it will only check if the value in id is not equal to null
reference https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Logical_NOT

Falsy means something empty like empty list,tuple, as any datatype having empty values or None.
Truthy means :
Except are Truthy

Python - Syntax for Boolean Expression with Type and Or

varA = 1
varB = 2
Code w/ Correct Result:
if type(varA) == type('a') or type(varB) == type('a'):
print "string involved (either varA or varB is a string)"
else:
print "varA and varB are not strings"
Code w/ Incorrect Result:
if type(varA) or type(varB) == type('a'):
print "string involved (either varA or varB is a string)"
else:
print "varA and varB are not strings"
Why exactly does the 2nd set of code not return the expected result (i.e. "varA and varB are not strings")? What is the step-by-step breakdown of what Python is doing with the 2nd set of code? I found a similar question had already been answered but did not entirely understand the explanation. Python: If-else statements.

In the second code snippet, the condition of the if-statement is being interpreted by Python like this:
if (type(varA)) or (type(varB) == type('a')):
Moreover, it will always evaluate to True.
This is because, no matter what the value of varA is, type(varA) evaluates to True:
>>> varA = 'a'
>>> bool(type(varA))
True
>>> varA = False
>>> bool(type(varA))
True
>>>
In fact, since Python's logical operators short-circuit (stop evaluating as soon as possible), the type(varB) == type('a') part of the condition will never even be evaluated.
On a separate note, you should be using is to compare types:
if type(varA) is str or type(varB) is str:
or, you can use isinstance:
if isinstance(varA, str) or isinstance(varB, str):

Your second example does not work because it parses as
if (type(varA)) or (type(varB) == type('a')):
and type(varA) will always be a class type which is considered True, so the whole expression will be True
There are better ways to do this
if any(isinstance(v, str) for v in (varA, varB)):
any takes an iterable and evaluates to True if anything in the iterable is true.
isinstance checks to see if the first argument "is a" second argument. Placing the generator expression inside of any reads as "if any v in (varA, varB) is a string): ... "
>>> var = 1
>>> isinstance(var, str) # var is an int, not a str
False
>>> isinstance(var, int)
True
>>> isinstance('a', int)
False
>>> isinstance('a', str) # 'a' is a str
True

iCodez is absolutely correct, but if you really want to do something along the lines of "list all elements and check if one of them is a string":
if str in map(type, [varA, varB]):
print "string involved"

Because in the second case you are not comparing both variables. Any integer above 0 would return True so you are not comparing types here.
if type(varA):
will always be True, because varA is equal to 1. You never even get to the second part of the condition.

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