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Python provides a few special methods to manipulate generators!

The .send() method allows us to send a value to a generator using the yield expression. If you assign yield to a variable the argument passed to the .send() method will be assigned to that variable. Calling .send() will also cause the generator to perform an iteration.

Look at the following example to see the behavior of the .send() method:

def count_generator():
  while True:
    n = yield
    print(n)

my_generator = count_generator()
next(my_generator) # 1st Iteration Output: 
next(my_generator) # 2nd Iteration Output: None
my_generator.send(3) # 3rd Iteration Output: 3
next(my_generator) # 4th Iteration Output: None

In the code example above, the generator definition contains the line n = yield. This assigns the value in yield to n which will be None unless a value is passed using .send().

The last 4 lines in the code are 4 iterations, 3 using next() and one using the .send() method:

The 1st iteration creates no output since the execution stops at n = yield which is before print(n).
The 2nd iteration assigns None to n through the n = yield expression. None is printed.
The 3rd iteration is caused by my_generator.send(3). The value 3 is passed through yield and assigned to n. 3 is printed.
The last, and 4th, iteration, assigns None to n. None is printed.

The .send() method can control the value of the generator when a second variable is introduced. One variable holds the iteration value and the other holds the value passed through yield.

def generator():
  count = 0
  while True:
    n = yield count
    if n is not None:
      count = n
    count += 1

my_generator = generator()
print(next(my_generator)) # Output: 0
print(next(my_generator)) # Output: 1
print(my_generator.send(3)) # Output: 4
print(next(my_generator)) # Output: 5

In the above example, the generator function defines count = 0 as the iteration value. n is used to hold the value provided by yield. Just like next(), the .send() method returns the value of the recent iteration. In this example, the return values are printed using print().

The updated line, n = yield count, has 2 behaviors:

At the start of each iteration the value provided by yield is assigned to n. This value will be None when next() causes an iteration or it will be equal to the value passed using .send()
At the end of each iteration, the value stored in count is returned by the generator.

If n is not None the value stored in n can be assigned to the iterator variable, count. This allows the iterator to only change the value of count when the .send() method is called.

Instructions

You are a teacher with a roster of 50 students. You have created a generator, get_student_ids(), that outputs each student’s id which you then use for assignment grading.

Things to note about the code in the workspace:

MAX_STUDENTS is set to 50 and is used in the while loop condition to cutoff the iteration.
student_id is initialized to 1 and is incremented at the bottom of the while loop.
The generator currently uses yield to return student_id at the end of each iteration.
A for loop at the bottom of the code iterates through the generator object student_id_generator and outputs each id.

Run the code to see all 50 ids printed.

When you are interrupted while grading, you need to pick up where you left off! This requires you to start the id generation at a number higher than 1. One way to solve this problem is to change the generator to support the .send() method.

Inside get_student_ids():

Change the yield expression so the value from yield is assigned to n.
Just below the yield expression check that n is not equal to None. If they are not equal, assign the value of n to student_id.
Still inside the if statement, stop student_id from incrementing by skipping the rest of the iteration.

When you run the code, you should see no change.

To start the iteration at a different id, you want to send the generator a new value during the first iteration.

Inside the for loop and before print(i):

Check if i is equal to the first id number, 1.
If so, set i to the return value of the student_id_generator.send() method.
Set the argument for the .send() method so the output starts at 25.

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