Is there a way to combine statements if & as in python?

Question

I have been just wondering if it is possible to somehow combine 'if' and 'as' statements like this:

if possible_error() as error:
  return error

instead of

error = possible_error()
if error:
  return error

where 'possible_error' function returns either empty string or error message. By doing so I could save one line of code.

I know that some compromise is to run this function twice:

if possible_error():
  return possible_error()

but I would rather avoid doing this.

Yes, this is exactly what I have been looking for. Thanks! – Fly_37 Jan 27 '22 at 23:31 — Fly_37, Jan 27 '22 at 23:31

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 27 '22 at 23:29

5

This is what the relatively new "walrus" operator is for:

if (error := possible_error()):
    return error

answered Jan 27 '22 at 23:29

Tim Roberts

Wow, I did not even know that such operator exists. Thanks! – Fly_37 Jan 27 '22 at 23:30
It was a somewhat controversial addition. Minimizing the lines of code is not always a good target, because it tends to decrease readability. – Tim Roberts Jan 28 '22 at 02:02

1 Answers1