migration-from-python.md

Migration from Python

Guide for Python developers learning WFL. Side-by-side comparisons and concept mapping.

Quick Comparison

Concept	Python	WFL
Variable	x = 5	store x as 5
Function	def add(a, b):	define action called add with parameters a and b:
If Statement	if x > 5:	check if x is greater than 5:
For Loop	for i in range(1, 11):	count from 1 to 10:
List	[1, 2, 3]	[1, 2, 3] (same!)
Class	class Person:	create container Person:

Variables

Python:

name = "Alice"
age = 28
is_active = True

WFL:

store name as "Alice"
store age as 28
store is_active as yes

Key differences:

• store ... as instead of =
• yes/no instead of True/False
• Use change to modify: change age to 29

Functions

Python:

def greet(name):
    print(f"Hello, {name}")

def add(a, b):
    return a + b

greet("World")
result = add(2, 3)

WFL:

define action called greet with parameters name:
    display "Hello, " with name
end action

define action called add_numbers with parameters a and b:
    return a plus b
end action

call greet with "World"
store result as add_numbers of 2 and 3

Note: Must explicitly call actions in WFL.

Conditionals

Python:

if age >= 18:
    print("Adult")
elif age >= 13:
    print("Teen")
else:
    print("Child")

WFL:

store age as 20
check if age is greater than or equal to 18:
    display "Adult"
otherwise check if age is greater than or equal to 13:
    display "Teen"
otherwise:
    display "Child"
end check

Note: otherwise check if is the elif equivalent and shares one end check. Nesting check if under otherwise: is still valid when an arm has its own independent decision.

Loops

Python:

# For loop with range
for i in range(1, 11):
    print(i)

# For each
for item in items:
    print(item)

# While
while condition:
    # code

WFL:

store items as [1, 2, 3]
store condition as no

// Count loop
count from 1 to 10:
    display count
end count

// For each
for each item in items:
    display item
end for

// While
repeat while condition:
    // code
end repeat

Lists

Python:

arr = [1, 2, 3]
arr.append(4)
last = arr.pop()
length = len(arr)
index = arr.index(3)

WFL:

store arr as [1, 2, 3]
push with arr and 4
store last as pop of arr
store list_length as length of arr
store found_index as indexof of arr and 3

Classes/Containers

Python:

class Person:
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age

    def greet(self):
        print(f"Hi, I'm {self.name}")

alice = Person("Alice", 28)
alice.greet()

WFL:

create container Person:
    property name: Text
    property age: Number

    action greet:
        display "Hi, I'm " with name
    end
end

create new Person as alice:
    name is "Alice"
    age is 28
end

alice.greet()

File Operations

Python:

# Read
with open('data.txt') as f:
    content = f.read()

# Write
with open('output.txt', 'w') as f:
    f.write('data')

WFL:

// Read
try:
    open file at "data.txt" for reading as myfile
    wait for store file_content as read content from myfile
    close file myfile
when error:
    display "Error"
end try

// Write
open file at "output.txt" for writing as outfile
wait for write content "data" into outfile
close file outfile

Error Handling

Python:

try:
    risky_operation()
except FileNotFoundError:
    print("File not found")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")
finally:
    cleanup()

WFL:

define action called risky_operation:
    display "doing something risky"
end action

define action called cleanup:
    display "cleaning up"
end action

try:
    call risky_operation
when file not found:
    display "File not found"
when error:
    display "Error occurred"
finally:
    call cleanup
end try

What WFL Doesn't Have

❌ List comprehensions - Use loops ❌ Dict comprehensions - Use loops ❌ Lambda functions - Use actions ❌ Decorators - Not available ❌ Generators - Not available ❌ Multiple inheritance - Single inheritance only ❌ with statement - Use try-finally

Common Patterns

List Comprehension

Python: [x * 2 for x in numbers]

WFL:

store numbers as [1, 2, 3]
create list doubled:
end list

for each num in numbers:
    push with doubled and num times 2
end for

Dictionary

Python: user = {"name": "Alice", "age": 28}

WFL: Use containers

create container User:
    property name: Text
    property age: Number
end

create new User as user:
    name is "Alice"
    age is 28
end

String Formatting

Python: f"Name: {name}, Age: {age}"

WFL:

store name as "Alice"
store age as 28
display "Name: " with name with ", Age: " with age

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