Elliptical Python Programming

In this satirical short article, the author shows how to create Python programs using the built-in exec and the snippet of code --(...==...), which evaluates to 1:

print(--(...==...))  # 1

The comparison ...==... evaluates to True and the double negation converts to the integer 1 by going from True to -1, and then to 1. To save one character, the author could have opted for +(...==...), which also gives 1.

By combining multiple together, the author produces larger integers:

print(
    --(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)
)  # 3

The author also points out that the leading -- can be ommitted:

print(
    (...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)
)  # 3

Finally, by using exec and string formatting with the format specifier %c, the author can write arbitrary strings which can then be executed. The author presents this code:

exec('%c'*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))%(((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...))--(...==...),*(((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),)*((...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))**((...==...)--(...==...))--((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),((...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))*((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))--(...==...)))

The beginning sets up the string that will represent the code to be executed:

exec(
    '%c'
    * ((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))
    * ((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))
    % (...)
)

This is equivalent to

exec(
    '%c'
    * 3
    * 7
    % (...)
)

The part '%c' * 3 * 7 creates a string with length 21: '%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c'. The part % (...) creates a tuple with 21 integers that will be formatted onto that string.

For example, the character "a" corresponds to the Unicode code point 97, so "%c" % 97 gives "a":

>>> ord("a")
97
>>> "%c" % 97
'a'

This means the author wants to run a Python program that is 21 characters in length.

The 21 integers that fill up the source code are all presented linearly inside the given tuple, except for a small section of the code that looks like this:

exec(
    '%c'
    * ((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))
    * ((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))
    % (
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ,*(
            ((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))
            * ((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...))
            ** ((...==...)--(...==...)--(...==...)),
        )
        * ((...==...)--(...==...)),
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...,
        ...
    )
)

That small section unpacks another tuple inside the main tuple, and the inner tuple is a 1-element tuple that is multiplied by 2 ((...==...)--(...==...)) to create a 2-element tuple with two equal values.

Here are the 21 integers the author defines, counting twice the one that is duplicated inside an inner tuple: