2.9 KiB
Title: Programming Logic Slug: 03-s6-step-3 Date: 2020-11-01 12:02 Summary: Loops, if/else statements, variables and more.
As bots are written in code, they are based on the features and constraints of programming logic.
To unpack this term, we will look at how the following elements are operating, specifically in the programming language Python:
- data objects
- loops
- if/else statements
- variables
Data Objects
How to store data?
Lists
agents = ['bot', programmer', 'user', 'moderator', 'server', 'regulator']
colors = ['red', 'magenta', 'yellow', 'blue', 'purple', 'green']
objects = ['apple', 'book', 'cable']
Dictionaries
vocabulary = {
'welcome' : 'Hello, how are you doing?',
'disagreement' : 'That makes no sense to me.',
'greeting' : 'Thanks for this, bye!'
}
Loops
A loop is an element in programming that allows you to execute a single line of code multiple times. It is a central figure in automatising a task that is repetitive.
By using for example a range() loop, you can ask the program to execute a command x many times. In the following example, the print() command is asked to return the word bot as many times as the loop is iterating.
for x in range(5):
print('bot' * x)
> bot
> botbot
> botbotbot
> botbotbotbot
> botbotbotbotbot
Another type of loop is the while loop, which allows to repeat a command for an infinite number of times. This type of loop can be stopped by a manual interruption of the programmer, usually by typing a specific key-combination, such as CTRL+D.
while True:
print('bot')
> bot
> bot
> bot
> bot
> bot
Other loops, such as the for loop, are useful to iterate over a specific set of items. If you would like to write a bot that would, for example, post a message of each sentence of a book, you could loop over all the sentences and print() them one by one.
sentences = open('book.txt').readlines()
for sentence in sentences:
print('sentence')
> This is the first sentence.
> This is the second sentence.
> This is the third sentence.
if/else statements
A next element in writing your bot could include the description of specific behavior at specific moments. If/else statements are used to trigger certain commands if a specific condition is met, or else execute an alternative command.
for x in range(5):
if x < 3:
print('Counting ... ' + str( x ))
else:
print('Nearing to the end ... ' + str( x ))
> Counting ... 0
> Counting ... 1
> Counting ... 2
> Nearing to the end ... 3
> Nearing to the end ... 4