Parameters and Return Values

[eyewirejets]

Can someone please look at my code and see if I'm writing it efficiently using parameters and return values.

Thank you for your support

PAY_RATE = 12.75

#This program ask the user for: hours worked, then calculates gross pay.

def get_hours():
    hours = input("How many hours did you work?: ")
    return hours
 
def calc_gross_pay(hours):
    gp = float(hours) * PAY_RATE
    print "Gross Pay $%0.2f" %  gp

def main():
    hours = get_hours()
    calc_gross_pay(hours)
    
main()

[leegeorg07]

yep that works, i tested it with this loop:

PAY_RATE = 12.75

#This program ask the user for: hours worked, then calculates gross pay.
a = 1
b = []
def get_hours():
    hours = a
    return hours
 
def calc_gross_pay(hours):
    gp = float(hours) * PAY_RATE
    print "Gross Pay $%0.2f" %  gp
	
def main():
	hours = get_hours()
	calc_gross_pay(hours)
	

while a <=100000000000000000000000:
	main()
	a+=1

[jrcagle]

The style is good too. In general, functions should do one thing and do it well. Yours pass that criterion.

Although ... I don't usually have a "main()" for the simple reason that I like to examine variables if the program crashes, and stuffing the main code into main() makes that more difficult.

Good work!
Jeff

[lllllIllIlllI]

Yet on that note, if you want to import something it is usually a lot better to have a main() function as then you can go:

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

And i find that a lot more readable then

if __name__ == '__main__':
    #every part of main would go here

I guess its just general preference, what works for you?

[jrcagle]

Yes, I actually do the latter.

ACTUALLY, what I often do is this:

class MyClass(object):
   ....
   @staticmethod
   def test():
       ## Unit testing goes here

if __name__ == "__main__":
   MyClass.test()

and then the test method is responsible for spitting out diagnostics. But in the absence of full unit testing, I put the main code after the if __name__ clause.

I should note also that my main code is almost always short, because the heavy lifting is done by functions and class methods. The only reason, then, to not have a main() function is so that I can have one or more named instances of objects whose state can be examined if needed.

Jeff