> What are generators and iterators...??And why are they are needed..?? > > I can do my stuff with a 'for' or a 'while' loop.. so why do I need an > ITERATOR..? > > And what is a generator ..? I did try to read about these two things on the > web, but still I AM CONFUSED.
here are some more places to look in addition to what others have already posted... 1. i wrote a short article in Linux Journal back when Python 2.2 was released, highlighting its new features; it includes a discussion and examples of iterators and generators: http://www2.linuxjournal.com/article/5597 my short take on it is that iterators let you use for-loops over sequence-*like* objects. in older versions of Python, they had to *be* sequences, i.e. strings, lists, tuples. but with iterators, you can now go through lines of a file, keys of a dictionary, etc. and generators are like "iterators with brains" because you can "generate" successive items to be iterated over, in addition to the cool co-routine-like resumable function features. 2. i do Python training professionally, and for people considering my services, i offer a free 5 minute sample podcast/video of what it's like to take a course from me. the example filmed is where i discuss generators right after i introduce iterators. http://cyberwebconsulting.com (click "Python Training") hope this helps! -- wesley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Core Python Programming", Prentice Hall, (c)2007,2001 http://corepython.com wesley.j.chun :: wescpy-at-gmail.com python training and technical consulting cyberweb.consulting : silicon valley, ca http://cyberwebconsulting.com _______________________________________________ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor