Setting to zero of elements of a numpy array different from a value (python3) : a[a <> 5] = 0

Question

In python 2, the following code works:

a = np.array([[1,5],[2,3]])
print a
print()
a[a<2] = 0
print a
a[a <> 5] = 0
print a

But in python3, it triggers a syntax error:

a[a <> 5] = 0

File "<ipython-input-14-165e29d9f8e4>", line 1
    a[a <> 5] = 0
         ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

Answer 1

The correct syntax for "not equal to" is now a[a != 5] = 0

(Yet another instance of a backward compatibility break in Python 3).

Answer 2

In Python 3, <> was replaced by != . It is similar to how print was changed from a statement to a function. See Comparisons in the Docs:

!= can also be written <> , but this is an obsolete usage kept for backwards compatibility only. New code should always use != .

Ps: You can be quite sneaky and do:

from __future__ import barry_as_FLUFL

which allows <> and makes != a SyntaxError, but really don't, just use != .