operator python parameter

Question

In Python, how can I pass an operator like + or < as a parameter to a function which expects a comparison function as a parameter?

def compare (a,b,f):
    return f(a,b)

I have read about functions like __gt__() or __lt__() but still I was not able to use them.

Answer 1

The operator module is what you are looking for. There you find functions that correspond to the usual operators.

e.g.

operator.lt
operator.le

Answer 2

use operator module for this purposes

import operator
def compare(a,b,func):

    mappings = {'>': operator.lt, '>=': operator.le,
                '==': operator.eq} # and etc. 
    return mappingsp[func](a,b)

compare(3,4,'>')