Using def and return in python 3

Question

i am trying to use def and return in python 3, which will check if a number is higher than another and then return status as either True or False. However, i can't seem to make this work. When i run it, i get a nameError. The code is like this:

on_off_status=600

def Status(data):
    if data <= on_off_status:
        status = True
    elif data > on_off_status:
         status = False
    return (status)


while True:
    data=int(input("what is the status?: "))
    Status(data)

    print (status)

I want to be able to use the status as True or False in another piece of code, which comes later.

Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

You forgot to receive the returned value from the function.

on_off_status = 600

def Status (data):
    if data <= on_off_status:
        status = True
    elif data > on_off_status:
        status = False
    return (status)


while True:
    data = int(input("what is the status?: "))
    status = Status(data)
    print (status)

Answer 2

With

data = int(input("what is the status?: "))

you assign an expression (ie the object returned by int() ) to the name data , which is created ex-novo.

You need to do the same with status and assign it the newly created object (returned by the Status function)

status = Status(data)

As with data , the line above creates the name status and makes it refer to the new object.

In your code

Status(data)

creates a new object, but it is "lost", since you do not write down where it resides, so nobody can reach it via a name (also called variable in other languages, more or less).

Then

print (status)

tries to pass an object called status to print , but such name was never assigned (ie added to the public directory of names, properly called a namespace ).

Therefore Python cannot find it and throws the nameError