CODEWITHSUNDEEP
pythonfunctionint
Shivam Paw
Shivam Paw

Reputation: 49

Python: minus 1 from int in function

How do you minus one from an INT in a function?

This is what I'm trying:

try:
    lives
except NameError:
    lives = 6
else:
    lives = lives-1
 print("\nWrong!\nYou have " +str(lives)+ " lives remaining\n")

But it doesn't work.

The lives are always at 6 :(

Any ideas?

UPDATE:

def main():

    used = []
    print(blanks)
    choice = input("\nEnter a letter:")

            lives -= 1
            print("\nWrong!\nYou have " +str(lives)+ " lives remaining\n")
            used.append(choice)
            main()

Upvotes: 1

Views: 25799

Answers (3)

Shivam Paw
Shivam Paw

Reputation: 49

All I needed to go was define the variable outside the function and then put:

global lives in the function.

Job done.

Upvotes: 0

Eran
Eran

Reputation: 2424

If lives wasn't defined before, than try: lives will always get you to the except section.
if you define lives before this code (by assigning it something) or inside the try section, you'll get to see the -1 in action.

try:
    lives = 1
except NameError:
    lives = 6
else:
    lives = lives-1
print lives

will output 0

as well as:

lives = 1
try:
    lives
except NameError:
    lives = 6
else:
    lives = lives-1
print lives

EDIT:
For your comment, here is some sample code that does something like what you are probably trying to achieve, that is a game of guess the letter. Hopefully this will help you.

def main():
    # The setup
    right_answer = "a"
    lives = 6

    # The game
    while lives > 0:
        choice = raw_input("Enter a letter:")
        if choice == right_answer:
            print "yay, you win!"
            break
        else:
            lives -= 1
            print "nay, try again, you have", lives, "lives left"
    else:
        print "you lose"

# This will call our function and run the game
if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

** written fro python 2.7, for python 3 the prints will need parentheses.

Upvotes: 0

MimiEAM
MimiEAM

Reputation: 2620

The real reason you are seeing 6 is because the NameError is thrown, and therefore your else clause is never actually executed

NameError: name 'lives' is not defined

Upvotes: 2

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