Does Python have an equivalent to 'switch'?

Question

I am trying to check each index in an 8 digit binary string. If it is '0' then it is 'OFF' otherwise it is 'ON'.

Is there a more concise way to write this code with a switch-like feature?

Answer 1

No, it doesn't. When it comes to the language itself, one of the core Python principles is to only have one way to do something. The switch is redundant to:

if x == 1:     pass elif x == 5:     pass elif x == 10:     pass 

(without the fall-through, of course).

The switch was originally introduced as a compiler optimization for C. Modern compilers no longer need these hints to optimize this sort of logic statement.

Answer 2

Try this instead:

def on_function(*args, **kwargs):     # do something  def off_function(*args, **kwargs):     # do something  function_dict = { '0' : off_function, '1' : on_function }  for ch in binary_string:    function_dict[ch]() 

Or you could use a list comprehension or generator expression if your functions return values:

result_list = [function_dict[ch]() for ch in binary_string]