First Python program: pick and display alien characteristics

Question

This is my first Python program and all it does is print out a description of the specific "Alien Class" that the user inputs.

Looking for tips and pointers and what I can do better and what I am doing well.

# Initializing the alien army with different alien classes
alien_army = {
 'rogue': {
 'name': 'rogue',
 'color': 'green',
 'size': 'small',
 'speed': 'fast',
 'damage': 'small'
 },
 'warrior': {
 'name': 'warrior',
 'color': 'blue',
 'size': 'medium',
 'speed': 'average',
 'damage': 'heavy'
 },
 'hunter': {
 'name': 'hunter',
 'color': 'dark green',
 'size': 'average',
 'speed': 'average',
 'damage': 'average'
 }
}
# Adding an Alien class 'Monk' to the alien_army
alien_army['monk'] = {
 'name': 'monk',
 'color': 'light gray',
 'size': 'small',
 'speed': 'quick',
 'damage': 'average'
}
class_names = []
for k, v in alien_army.items():
 class_names.append(k)
# Function that shows the alien that the user typed
def showPickedAlien(a):
 print(f"{a['name'].upper()}'S are {a['color'].title()} in color, {a['size'].lower()} in size, {a['speed'].lower()} in speed and they do a {a['damage'].lower()} amount in damage.")
# While loop flag to run or stop loop
input_enabled = True
# While loop to keep displaying the alien class that the user inputs
while input_enabled:
 user_input = input("Which class do you want to see? ").lower()
 input_alien = alien_army.get(user_input)
 # Checking if user entered a valid alien class name
 if user_input in class_names:
 showPickedAlien(input_alien)
 else:
 print(f"{user_input.upper()} is not a valid alien class name.")
 # Asking user if they want to see another alien class or not
 input_for_quit = input("Do you want to see another class? ").lower()
 # Determining if the user wants the loop to stop or not
 if input_for_quit == 'no' or input_for_quit == 'n':
 print("Goodbye.")
 input_enabled = False
 elif input_for_quit == 'yes' or input_for_quit == 'y':
 input_enabled = True

Answer 1

Good job on your first Python program!

You used a Dictionary to store all the alien classes. There are many other alternatives to do the same task. The most common one for this kind of problem is Python Classes (https://www.w3schools.com/python/python_classes.asp).

You could simply create a class called myArmy and then create your soldiers as objects.

#Create a class called myArmy
class myArmy:
 #Use the __init__() function to assign values for name, color...
 def __init__(self, name, color, size, speed, damage):
 self.name = name
 self.color = color
 self.size = size
 self.speed = speed
 self.damage = damage
#Create your soldiers (Referred to as "Objects" here. The __init__() function is called automatically every time the class is being used to create a new object.
rogue = myArmy('rogue', 'green', 'small', 'fast', 'small')
warrior = myArmy('warrior', 'green', 'medium', 'average', 'heavy')
hunter = myArmy('hunter', 'dark green', 'average', 'average', 'average')
#Access Rogue information for example
print(rogue.name, rogue.color, rogue.size, rogue.speed, rogue.damage)

Next step should be to give them attack/defense values and attack speed, and let the user make them battle each other!

Answer 2

• According to the PEP8 widely-accepted style, your function should be named show_picked_alien.

• You don't need a class_names list, as you can just do if key in dictionary

• If it always coincides with the key, you don't need the name attribute

• You don't need a input_enabled variable: you can just break out of the loop, or better, put that in a function and return

• You should avoid executable code at the top level of your module, for future extensibility (it also always helps having smaller functions). Use a classic: if __name__ == "__main__": main()

• It's better if you pick one quote type (single or doubles) and stick with it, within a program (also from PEP8). But don't pick one style "for life" and apply it on projects using other styles.

• Maybe that's pushing it too far, but if your goal is to make a real application, you can transform your attributes, at least speed/size/damage into enums rather than strings (or use string constants). Because later on you will have checks like if speed == 'average' and don't want to repeat string literals and have to make them coincide in several places

• I second MarkH's suggestion of making a class (but with a PEP8-compliant name). If you do this, implement __str__ on it (maybe the same as your current showPickedAlien if not too verbose). That will help with your debugging later on.