How to execute an if else statement in while loop without making the while loop stop?
Question:
Im trying to make a countdown timer with the feature to reset/stop/pause/resume. I tried implementing an if/elif/else statement to check for user input letter within the while loop while it continues looping. However, the loop stops running when the conditional statement executes. How do I implement my intended functionality into the code?
code:
import time
import datetime
def timeinput():
# Inputs for hours, minutes, seconds on timer
h = input("Enter the time in hours: ")
m = input("Enter the time in minutes: ")
s = input("Enter the time in seconds: ")
countdown(int(h), int(m), int(s))
# Create class that acts as a countdown
def countdown(h, m, s):
# Print options for user to do
print("Press w to reset nPress s to stop nPress a to pause nPress d to resume")
# Calculate the total number of seconds
total_seconds = h * 3600 + m * 60 + s
# While loop that checks if total_seconds reaches zero
# If not zero, decrement total time by one second
while total_seconds > 0:
# Timer represents time left on countdown
timer = datetime.timedelta(seconds = total_seconds)
# Prints the time left on the timer
print(timer, end="r")
# Delays the program one second
time.sleep(1)
# Reduces total time by one second
total_seconds -= 1
user=input()
if user=="w":
total_seconds=0
print("Timer will now reset")
timeinput()
print("Bzzzt! The countdown is at zero seconds!")
timeinput()
result:
outcome of code
As shown in the provided image, the loop stops at 20 secs. My intended action here was for the countdown to continue until the user presses the W key, which shall then reset the countdown back to its original set time at initialization.
Answers:
The command input() is blocking. It waits until it get something from the console. Maybe take a look at this post and try to implement a non blocking version of input. Non-blocking console input?
Soo, I’m also kinda new to programming and python so I don’t exactly how to make a timer with that functionality. What is happening is that when you use the input() function the code stops and waits for the user input.
I know you can use some libraries, like pygame, in order to check for user input inside the loop without stopping it, but without one I’m not sure how to do it.
You can also use the module keyboard, that comes inside python, and I think is great for the problem you shared. Check this post How to detect key presses?
The problem is that input is blocking – that is, it will stop the execution until the user presses < enter> .
Antique running environments, on 8 bit computers, using Basic, could check "what the user is pressing right now", without waiting for a confirmation with "enter" using the inkey command.
In Python programs running on terminal, terminedia, a 3rdy party library, implements inkey() as it was – but it needs the terminal input to be reconfigured for which it provides a "keyboard" context manager.
You can then run almost the same code you have -just install terminedia in your Python environment with "pip install terminedia"
import terminedia as TM
...
def countdown(h, m, s):
...
while total_seconds > 0:
# Timer represents time left on countdown
timer = datetime.timedelta(seconds = total_seconds)
# Prints the time left on the timer
print(timer, end="r")
with TM.keyboard:
# Delays the program one second
time.sleep(1)
# Reduces total time by one second
total_seconds -= 1
user=TM.inkey()
if user=="w":
total_seconds=0
print("Timer will now reset")
timeinput()
print("Bzzzt! The countdown is at zero seconds!")
timeinput()
(disclaimer: I am terminedia author)
Taking inputs from the answers received here and subsequent follow-up questions on stack overflow and Reddit, this question has been solved using pygame. I’ll provide the link below for future reference to this question.
Im trying to make a countdown timer with the feature to reset/stop/pause/resume. I tried implementing an if/elif/else statement to check for user input letter within the while loop while it continues looping. However, the loop stops running when the conditional statement executes. How do I implement my intended functionality into the code?
code:
import time
import datetime
def timeinput():
# Inputs for hours, minutes, seconds on timer
h = input("Enter the time in hours: ")
m = input("Enter the time in minutes: ")
s = input("Enter the time in seconds: ")
countdown(int(h), int(m), int(s))
# Create class that acts as a countdown
def countdown(h, m, s):
# Print options for user to do
print("Press w to reset nPress s to stop nPress a to pause nPress d to resume")
# Calculate the total number of seconds
total_seconds = h * 3600 + m * 60 + s
# While loop that checks if total_seconds reaches zero
# If not zero, decrement total time by one second
while total_seconds > 0:
# Timer represents time left on countdown
timer = datetime.timedelta(seconds = total_seconds)
# Prints the time left on the timer
print(timer, end="r")
# Delays the program one second
time.sleep(1)
# Reduces total time by one second
total_seconds -= 1
user=input()
if user=="w":
total_seconds=0
print("Timer will now reset")
timeinput()
print("Bzzzt! The countdown is at zero seconds!")
timeinput()
result:
outcome of code
As shown in the provided image, the loop stops at 20 secs. My intended action here was for the countdown to continue until the user presses the W key, which shall then reset the countdown back to its original set time at initialization.
The command input() is blocking. It waits until it get something from the console. Maybe take a look at this post and try to implement a non blocking version of input. Non-blocking console input?
Soo, I’m also kinda new to programming and python so I don’t exactly how to make a timer with that functionality. What is happening is that when you use the input() function the code stops and waits for the user input.
I know you can use some libraries, like pygame, in order to check for user input inside the loop without stopping it, but without one I’m not sure how to do it.
You can also use the module keyboard, that comes inside python, and I think is great for the problem you shared. Check this post How to detect key presses?
The problem is that input is blocking – that is, it will stop the execution until the user presses < enter> .
Antique running environments, on 8 bit computers, using Basic, could check "what the user is pressing right now", without waiting for a confirmation with "enter" using the inkey command.
In Python programs running on terminal, terminedia, a 3rdy party library, implements inkey() as it was – but it needs the terminal input to be reconfigured for which it provides a "keyboard" context manager.
You can then run almost the same code you have -just install terminedia in your Python environment with "pip install terminedia"
import terminedia as TM
...
def countdown(h, m, s):
...
while total_seconds > 0:
# Timer represents time left on countdown
timer = datetime.timedelta(seconds = total_seconds)
# Prints the time left on the timer
print(timer, end="r")
with TM.keyboard:
# Delays the program one second
time.sleep(1)
# Reduces total time by one second
total_seconds -= 1
user=TM.inkey()
if user=="w":
total_seconds=0
print("Timer will now reset")
timeinput()
print("Bzzzt! The countdown is at zero seconds!")
timeinput()
(disclaimer: I am terminedia author)
Taking inputs from the answers received here and subsequent follow-up questions on stack overflow and Reddit, this question has been solved using pygame. I’ll provide the link below for future reference to this question.