What is elif in Python with example?

Claudia 121 Published: 07/24/2024

What is elif in Python with example?

I'm happy to help!

elif is a keyword in Python that stands for "else if." It's used to specify another condition to check if the first if statement and subsequent elif statements are not true.

Here's an example:

x = 5

if x > 10:

print("x is greater than 10")

elif x == 5:

print("x is equal to 5")

else:

print("x is less than 10")

In this example, we have a variable x with the value of 5. The first condition is if x > 10, which is not true. So, Python moves on to the next line, which is elif x == 5. This condition is true, so it prints "x is equal to 5".

Now, let's talk about how elif works:

Short-circuit evaluation: When you use elif, Python evaluates each condition from top to bottom and stops as soon as a condition becomes true. If no conditions are true, the code moves on to the else block. Multiple conditions: You can have multiple elif statements, which is useful when you need to check for multiple conditions. For example:
x = 5

if x > 10:

print("x is greater than 10")

elif x == 5 and y == 3: # both x and y must be equal to 5

print("both x and y are equal to 5")

elif x < 0:

print("x is less than 0")

else:

print("x is not within the above conditions")

In this example, Python checks the first if condition, then the elif conditions one by one. If any of them become true, it prints a message and stops checking.

Chaining elif statements: You can chain multiple elif statements to create complex logic. For instance:
x = 5

y = 10

if x > y:

print("x is greater than y")

elif y == 5: # this condition only makes sense if the first one is false

print("y is equal to 5, but x is not greater than y")

elif x < 0 and y < 0: # both conditions must be true

print("both x and y are less than 0")

else:

print("none of the above conditions are true")

In this example, Python checks the first condition, then the second elif statement, then the third. If any of these conditions become true, it prints a message and stops checking.

In summary, elif allows you to specify additional conditions to check if previous conditions are not true. It's an essential part of Python's conditional logic system!

Python elif invalid syntax example

I'd be happy to help you with that.

In Python, the elif statement is used to specify an alternative action if the previous condition (if) is false. It's a way to chain multiple conditions together and execute different code blocks based on those conditions.

Here's a simple example of how it works:

x = 5

if x > 10:

print("x is greater than 10")

elif x == 5:

print("x is equal to 5")

else:

print("x is less than 10")

Output: "x is equal to 5"

In this example, we have an if statement that checks if x is greater than 10. Since x is not greater than 10 (it's actually equal to 5), the condition is false and the code inside the if block doesn't execute.

The next line of code is the elif statement, which checks if x is equal to 5. This condition is true, so the code inside this block (print("x is equal to 5")) executes, and that's why we see "x is equal to 5" printed in the output.

If both conditions were false (e.g., x was less than 5), then the code would move on to the next block (else) and print something like "x is less than 10".

Here are some more examples of using elif statements:

age = 18

if age < 16:

print("You're a kid!")

elif age >= 65:

print("You're an elder!")

else:

print("You're an adult!")

Output: "You're an adult!"

weight = 50

if weight > 100:

print("You're overweight")

elif weight < 50:

print("You're underweight")

else:

print("You're just right")

Output: "You're just right"

These examples demonstrate how elif can help you write more concise and efficient code. By checking multiple conditions in a single statement, you can simplify your program logic and avoid unnecessary complexity.

In conclusion, the elif statement is a powerful tool in Python (and many other programming languages) that allows you to specify alternative actions based on conditional statements. It's essential for writing clean, readable, and maintainable code.