python one line return value if availab if not return None

Question

Lets say I have a variable name = "Jack". I can check it like this

if name:
    return name
else:
    name = None
    return name

Is there any way to handle it in one line like:

new_name = name if not return none Which simply return the variable value if available and if not then it should return None

Sure it is possible in both Python 2.x (starting Python 2.5) and Python 3.x. See here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/394809/does-python-have-a-ternary-conditional-operator . For Python pre-2.5 workarounds are possible. — Artur Opalinski, May 19 '16 at 06:21
In *this specific case* `return name or None` would also work, because you want to return `None` for any falsey value of name. — Martijn Pieters, May 19 '16 at 06:22
If you want to assign the `name` to `None` before return in case it is `None`, you could do it in *two* lines: 1. `name = name or None` 2. `return name` — Ian, May 19 '16 at 06:30
You don't need that `else` there at all. Without an explicit `return`, it'll already `return` the value `None`. — TigerhawkT3, May 19 '16 at 06:33

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered May 19 '16 at 06:19

3

Yes.

return name if name else None

It works:

>>> def test_name(name):
...     return name if name else None
... 
>>> print test_name("")
None
>>> print test_name("Jack")
Jack

answered May 19 '16 at 06:19

Daniil Ryzhkov

I want it to be it in variable `new_name = name if name else None` – varad May 19 '16 at 06:24
@aryan your example will work – Daniil Ryzhkov May 19 '16 at 06:26
yes that worked... I was not printing so was not seeing the value – varad May 19 '16 at 06:49

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered May 19 '16 at 06:21

3

Yes, you could do it in one line as shown in my comment:

return name if name else None

Or even simpler for this specific case (as pointed out by Martijn):

return name or None

answered May 19 '16 at 06:21

Ian

2 Answers2