University of Constantine 3 Salah Boubnider

Faculty of Process Engineering

Department of Process Engineering

ADVANCED PYTHON PROGRAMMING

COURSE

CHAPTER III : CONDITIONAL STRUCTURES IN PYTHON

CREATED BY :HALIMA MAHIDEB

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COURSE PLAN
1. Introduction
2. The Basic Form of an if Statement

3. The if … else statement

4. The if ..elif… else statement

5. Nested if structures

6. Ternary operator

7. Match Case statement

8. Predicated and Boolean value

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 Chapter II: Basic Concepts in Python III : conditional structures in Python

1. WHAT ARE CONDITIONAL STRUCTURES?

 Conditional structures allow a program to make decisions based on certain conditions.

 A condition is a logical expression that evaluates to True or False.

 They control the flow of execution — deciding which code block should run.

 In Python, the main conditional statements are:

o if
o if...else
o if...elif...else

 They are used in almost every program to make the code dynamic and intelligent

Conclusion:
Conditional statements are the foundation of program logic, enabling computers to make decisions just like humans.

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2. THE BASIC FORM OF CONDITION

Definition
The if statement allows you to execute a block of code only if a condition is true.

Syntax

if condition:
# block of statements
if → keyword that starts the condition
condition → an expression that returns True or False
: → required colon at the end of the line
Indented block → the code that runs only if the condition is true

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3. THE IF...ELSE STATEMENT

Definition
The if...else statement allows a program to choose
between two possible actions:
One block executes if the condition is True
The other executes if the condition is False

Syntax

If condition:
# block executed when condition is
True else:
# block executed when condition is False

Key Points
• The if and else must align at the same indentation level.
• Only one of the two blocks executes.
• Conditions can use comparison or logical operators.
• else doesn’t have a condition — it’s the “otherwise” case.
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4. THE IF...ELIF….ELSE STATEMENT

Definition: When you need to test more than two
conditions, Python provides the
if...elif...else structure.
It allows the program to check conditions in
sequence and execute only one block — the first
one whose condition is True.

Syntax
If condition1:
# block executed when condition is True
elif condition2:
# block 2 executes if condition2 is
True elif condition3:
# block 3 executes if condition3 is
True else:
# executes if all previous conditions are False

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4. THE IF..ELIF….ELSE STATEMENT

Best Practices

 Arrange conditions from most specific to most general.

 Use logical operators (and, or, not) to combine tests.
 Keep indentation consistent for readability.

Common Mistakes
• Forgetting the colon : after conditions.
• Misaligned indentation.
• Writing multiple independent if statements instead of one chain (causing multiple blocks to run).

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5. NESTED IF STRUCTURES
Definition
A nested if is an if statement inside another if block.
It allows you to test a secondary condition only when a primary condition is true.

Syntax
if condition1:
if condition2:
# code executed when both are True
else:
# code executed when condition1 is
True but condition2 is False
else:
# code executed when condition1 is False

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5. NESTED IF STRUCTURES

When to Use Nested if:

 When one condition must be validated only if another
is True. Example:
• Check if a person is a student,
• then check if their grade qualifies for a scholarship.

Best Practices
 Avoid too many nested levels — it makes code harder to read.
 Try using logical operators (and, or) to simplify:
if x > 0 and x % 2 == 0:
print("x is a positive even number.")
 Keep indentation consistent to show hierarchy clearly.

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6. TERNARY OPERATOR
Definition : In Python, the ternary operator (also called a
conditional expression) is a one-line shortcut for an if-else
statement.
It allows you to assign a value based on a condition — all in one
line.

Syntax
value_if_true if condition else value_if_false

When you can use a ternary operator

You can use it only when your if...else chooses one of
two values — for example, when assigning or returning
something.

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7. MATCH–CASE STATEMENT Example: Choose a grade message

grade = input("Enter your grade (A, B,
 Introduced in Python 3.10 as a new control structure. C, D, F): ")
 Similar to switch–case in other languages.
 Used to compare one value against multiple patterns. match grade:
 More powerful — supports pattern matching, not just case "A":
equality tests. print("Excellent! ")
case "B":
Syntax print("Good job ")
match variable: case "C":
case pattern1: print("You passed ")
# code case "D":
block case print("You can do better next
pattern2: time ")
# code case "F":
block case _: print("Fail ")
# default case case _:
print("Invalid grade")
Key points:
match = keyword (like
Output
switch) case = each
Enter your grade (A, B, C, D, F): B
possible match
Good job
_ = wildcard → acts like “default”
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 Chapter II: Basic Concepts in Python III : conditional structures in Python

. PREDICATES AND BOOLEAN VALUES

Definition of a Predicate
A predicate is an expression that can be either True or False.
It represents a logical condition used to make decisions in a program.

Example:
x = 10
x>5 # Predicate →
True x == 8 #
Predicate → False
age >= 18 and age < 60 # Predicate → True or False
isinstance(x, int) # Predicate → True or False

In Python, every conditional test is a predicate:

It evaluates to one of two Boolean values: True or False.
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7. PREDICATES AND BOOLEAN VALUES

Boolean Data Type

Python evaluates objects as True or False according to their content:
Type: bool
Has only two possible values:
True
False Type Evaluated as False if... Otherwise
You can check the type: any non-zero number
int 0
type(True) # <class →
'bool'> True
float 0.0 any non-zero → True
In Python, any value (not only True any non-empty string
or str empty string ""
→
False) can be used in a predicate or True
condition,
list, tuple, set, dict empty ([], (), {}) non-empty → True
because Python automatically
converts NoneType always False —
it to a Boolean value when it is
tested
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7. PREDICATES AND BOOLEAN VALUES

Boolean Data Type
Examples
#
Integers
if 5:
print("5 is True") # Executed
if 0: executed if [1, 2]:
print("0 is True") # Not executed print("Non-empty list is True") # Executed

#
Strings
if
"Hello":
print("Non-empty string is True") #
Executed
if "":
print("Empty string is True")# Not
executed

# Lists
if []:
print("Empty list is True") # Not
 Explanation bool(3) # True
When Python evaluates a condition: bool("") #
It calls the built-in function bool(value) to False
convert the object to True or False. bool("Hi") #
Example: True bool([])
bool(0) # False # False

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7. PREDICATES AND BOOLEAN VALUES

Boolean Expressions Example

age = 20
is_adult = age
>= 18
print(is_adult)
#
True
A Boolean expression combines values, variables, and operators to produce a True or False result.
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7. PREDICATES AND BOOLEAN VALUES

Comparison Operators
Definition
Comparison operators are used to compare two values and return a Boolean result (True or False).

Operator Meaning Example Result

== Equal to 5 == 5 True
!= Not equal to 5 != 3 True
> Greater than 10 > 8 True
< Less than 4<2 False
>= Greater or equal 5 >= 5 True
<= Less or equal 3 <= 2 False

Comparison operators are often used inside if statements to form predicates.

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7. PREDICATES AND BOOLEAN VALUES

Combining Conditions with Logical Operators

Logical Operators
Operator Meaning Example
and True if both are True x > 0 and y > 0
or True if one or both are x > 0 or y > 0
True
not Negates a condition not(x > 0)

Comparison operators are often used inside if statements to form predicates.

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7. PREDICATES AND BOOLEAN VALUES

Combining Conditions with Logical Operators
Example:

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7. PREDICATES AND BOOLEAN VALUES

Summary
Predicates are logical expressions that evaluate to True or
False.
Boolean values are the results of these predicates.
Comparison and logical operators form the core of
decision-making in Python.

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