python return from function

Question

Is it possible to return from a function and continue executing code from just under the function. I know that may sound vague but here is an example:

def sayhi():
    print("hi")
    continue_function() #makes this function continue below in stead of return

#the code continues here with execution and will print hey
print("hey")


sayhi()

when executing this the code should do this:

it prints "hey"
it calls the sayhi() function
it prints "hi"
it calls a function to make it continue after the function (in theory similar behavour could be achieve by using decorators)
it prints "hey" again
it calls sayhi() again
etc

i am fully aware of the fact that similar behaviour can be achieved by just using for loops but for the project i am working on this functionality is required and not achievable by using looping.

some solutions i have thought of (but i have no clue how i could execute them) are:

somehow clearing the stack python uses to return from one function to another
changing return values
changing python itself (just to make clear: it would solve the problem but it is something i do not want to do beacuse the project must be usable on non-altered versions of python
using some c extension to change python's behaviour from within python itself

This would also completely break Python's frame stack model. — Martijn Pieters, Oct 17 '17 at 17:15
i know it hasn't, but is there some workaround but it's just not intended to be used, or is it absolutely impossible? — jonathan, Oct 17 '17 at 17:17
Not that you have shared your use-case or why you think it is required for your project, this sounds like a [massive X-Y problem](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-xy-problem). — Martijn Pieters, Oct 17 '17 at 17:18
alrighty, then thanks for the help and i'll just accept it's (unfortunately) impossible — jonathan, Oct 17 '17 at 17:21

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 17 '17 at 17:38

1

Repetition without loops can be done with recursion:

def sayhi():
    print("hey")
    print("hi")
    sayhi()


sayhi()

I assume you have some terminating condition to insert. If not, this code will give a RecursionError.

answered Oct 17 '17 at 17:38

luther

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of course that works. thanks for your help. it is however not what i'm looking for. i specifically want it to execute the code after the function so loops nor recursion will work. but thanks anyways. – jonathan Oct 17 '17 at 17:48

python return from function

1 Answers1