'True' and 'False' in Python
is
compares identity. A string will never be identical to a not-string.
==
is equality. But a string will never be equal to either True
or False
.
You want neither.
path = '/bla/bla/bla'
if path:
print "True"
else:
print "False"
From 6.11. Boolean operations:
In the context of Boolean operations, and also when expressions are used by control flow statements, the following values are interpreted as false: False, None, numeric zero of all types, and empty strings and containers (including strings, tuples, lists, dictionaries, sets and frozensets). All other values are interpreted as true.
The key phrasing here that I think you are misunderstanding is "interpreted as false" or "interpreted as true". This does not mean that any of those values are identical to True or False, or even equal to True or False.
The expression '/bla/bla/bla'
will be treated as true where a Boolean expression is expected (like in an if
statement), but the expressions '/bla/bla/bla' is True
and '/bla/bla/bla' == True
will evaluate to False for the reasons in Ignacio's answer.