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Python

Posted by Hunter Kiely
Hunter Kiely
2,768 Points

Why does the method get_next_monster() not need to be defined above where it is called?

While planning for the monster game, Kenneth defines the Game class and defines the first method setup. Inside setup, self.monster = to self.get_next_monster(). However, get_next_monster is not defined before it is called on in the next line.

In python, how does this work? In C, there aren't objects. However the function must be defined before it's called. 

self.monster = [
      Goblin(),
      Troll(),
      Dragon()
    ]
    self.monster = self.get_next_monster()

 def get_next_monster(self):

    try:
      return self.monsters.pop(0)     
    except IndexError:
      return None

1 Answer

Dan Johnson
Dan Johnson
40,533 Points
Dan Johnson
Dan Johnson
40,533 Points

The Python interpreter is capable of look ahead when dealing with method/function names so you don't need to restrict their ordering:

def first():
  print("first")
  last()

def last():
  print("last")

class Order(object):
  def __init__(self):
    print("__init__")
    self.setup()

  def setup(self):
    print("setup")

first()
Order()

The best you could do with C (if I'm remembering this correctly) is forward declaration:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

void helloWorld();

int main(void)
{
    helloWorld();

    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

void helloWorld()
{
    puts("Hello World!");
}