Python indentation mystery

Question

Why am I getting the following error? The last print statement should not be a part of the while loop.

>>> while n>= 0:
.         


        

Answer 1

The default python shell works OK for typing but it really does not understand pasting from clipboard. The real solution is to install ipython, which is an advanced shell for python with many niceties:

% ipython3
Python 3.4.2 (default, Oct  8 2014, 13:08:17) 
Type "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.

IPython 2.3.0 -- An enhanced Interactive Python.
?         -> Introduction and overview of IPython's features.
%quickref -> Quick reference.
help      -> Python's own help system.
object?   -> Details about 'object', use 'object??' for extra details.

In [1]: n = 5

In [2]: while n >= 0:
   ...:     n = n-1
   ...:     print(n)
   ...: print ("TO A!!")
   ...: 
4
3
2
1
0
-1
TO A!!

In [3]: