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Comments on Why can parentheses cause exceptions in Python when using for loops?

Post

Why can parentheses cause exceptions in Python when using for loops?

+7
−4

Using parentheses in Javascript is always needed when you want to create functions, if/else statements and for/while loops. But in Python it has a function that is called tuples. When using an if statement for example, it won't be a big deal when I use parentheses. But when it comes to for...in loops it seems to cause exceptions. For example,

fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Orange"]
for (fruit in fruits):
    print(fruit)

This will return an exception, SyntaxError: invalid syntax

But when I remove the parentheses it will work again. Is this because the parentheses that act as a tuple prevent the for...in loop from iterating over the list and setting a value from the list to fruit? Which makes it not possible to be printed?

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3 comment threads

Because in Python you do not enclose the body of a for-loop in parentheses, unlike C/C++, Java, JS, P... (1 comment)
Downvote: Premise makes no sense (3 comments)
I like this question (1 comment)
I like this question
trichoplax‭ wrote over 1 year ago

This is an interesting question, exploring why an error occurs as part of gaining familiarity with the language.

I would not expect it to be easy to find the answer by searching documentation or online without already knowing what explanation to search for.

The asker clearly knows how to solve the problem (remove the parentheses), but wants to understand why the solution works. This is an important step towards a deeper understanding of the language.

I am confused by the downvotes. I could understand downvotes if the asker was complaining that Python should be different, but the question is clearly a search for a deeper appreciation, not a criticism.

It would be useful to hear if there is some other reason for the downvotes that I have overlooked. What needs to improve?