Where Should the Return Statement Be Placed in a For Loop to Ensure Proper Function Execution?

Understanding Return Statement Placement in For Loops

In the question posted, a programmer encountered an issue with a function that collected user input for a list of pets. The program only allowed the user to enter one pet, despite the function expecting three. The problem lies with the placement of the return statement within a for loop.

Function Body and Return Statement

Within a function body, the return statement terminates the function and returns a value or, in some cases, multiple values. When placed within a for loop, the return statement exits the loop and the entire function, regardless of how many iterations of the loop remain.

Understanding the Issue

In the example code provided:

def make_list():
    # ...
    for count in range(1, 4):
        # ...
        pet_list.append(pet)
        return pet_list

The return statement is placed within the for loop. When the program reaches this line for the first pet, the function immediately returns the list containing только один питомец. As a result, the function prematurely exits, preventing the collection of data for the remaining two pets.

Correct Placement of Return Statement

To fix this issue, the return statement must be moved outside the for loop. This allows the loop to complete its iterations and collect data for all three pets before returning the complete list.

def make_list():
    # ...
    for count in range(1, 4):
        # ...
        pet_list.append(pet)

    return pet_list

Conclusion

Correctly placing the return statement outside the for loop ensures that the function collects all the necessary data before returning the desired result.

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