#  Overload.py  Copyright (c) Kari Laitinen

#  http://www.naturalprogramming.com

#  2006-05-23  File created.
#  2022-12-16  Converted to Python 3.

#  The corresponding Java/C++/C# programs (e.g. Overload.java)
#  demonstrate the method (function) overloading mechanism in
#  those languages. Because function overloading is not possible
#  in Python, this program demonstrates how it is possible to
#  circumvent the absence of method overloading in Python
#  programs.

#  In the Java/C++/C# languages method overloading means that
#  different methods can have the same name when they take a
#  different set of parameters (arguments).

#  In Python we can write functions (methods) that inspect the
#  types of given arguments and behave in different ways according
#  to the types. Python has a built-in function named isinstance()
#  that can be used to check whether a data item has a certain
#  type.

#  This program contains a single function named print_list() 
#  that can perform the job of the three print_array() functions
#  in the corresponding Java/C++/C# programs.

#  In Python there is no type char. Characters in Python programs
#  are one-character strings.

def print_list( given_list, number_of_items_to_print =  -1 ) :

   if  len( given_list )  ==  0 :

      print( "\n\n Empty lists cannot be printed.", end="" )

   elif  isinstance( given_list[ 0 ], int ) :

      print( "\n\n Integers in list:", end="" )
   
      for  integer_index  in  range( number_of_items_to_print ) :
   
         print( "  %d"  %  given_list[ integer_index ], end="" )

   elif isinstance( given_list[ 0 ], str ) :

      if ( number_of_items_to_print  !=  -1 ) :

         print( "\n\n Characters in list:", end="" )
      
         for  character_index  in  range( number_of_items_to_print ) :
      
            print( "  %c"  %  given_list[ character_index ], end="" )

      else :

         #  The parameter value -1 means that the whole list will be printed.

         print( "\n\n Characters in list:", end="" )
      
         for  character_in_list  in  given_list  :
      
            print( "  %c"  %  character_in_list, end="" )

   else :

      print( "\n\n Type %s not supported by function print_list()" % \
            type( given_list[ 0 ] ), end="" )


first_list  =  [ 55, 77, 888, 4444, 33, 22, 11 ]

second_list =  [ 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', 'G', 'H' ]

print_list( first_list, 6 )
print_list( second_list )
print_list( second_list, 5 )

empty_list  =  []

list_of_floats  =  [ 77.77, 88.88, 99.99, 111.111 ]

print_list( empty_list )
print_list( list_of_floats )

print(  "\n\n In Python lists can be printed with the print function:" )

print(  empty_list )
print( list_of_floats )