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How to Generate Gray Codes Recursively in Python

Submitted by razormist on Saturday, May 24, 2025 - 18:07.

In this tutorial, we will learn how to program "How to Generate Gray Codes Recursively in Python." The objective is to carefully generate Gray codes using a recursive approach. This tutorial will guide you through the process step by step, showing you how to implement recursion to generate Gray codes. By the end, you will have a clear understanding of how to efficiently perform this task in Python.

This topic is straightforward to understand. Just follow the instructions I provide, and you will complete it with ease. The program I will demonstrate will show you the correct and efficient way to swap the first and last characters of a string. So, let’s dive into the coding process!

Getting Started:

First you will have to download & install the Python IDLE's, here's the link for the Integrated Development And Learning Environment for Python https://www.python.org/downloads/.

Creating Main Function

This is the main function of the application. The following code will display a simple GUI in terminal console that will display program. To do this, simply copy and paste these blocks of code into the IDLE text editor.
  1. def get_gray_codes(n):
  2.     if n == 0:
  3.         return ['']
  4.     first_half = get_gray_codes(n - 1)
  5.     second_half = first_half.copy()
  6.  
  7.     first_half = ['0' + code for code in first_half]
  8.     second_half = ['1' + code for code in reversed(second_half)]
  9.  
  10.     return first_half + second_half
  11.  
  12. while True:
  13.     print("\n============== Swap the First and Last Characters of a String ==============\n")
  14.  
  15.     n = int(input('Enter the number of bits: '))
  16.     codes = get_gray_codes(n)
  17.     print('All {}-bit Gray Codes:'.format(n))
  18.     print(codes)
  19.  
  20.     opt = input("\nDo you want to try again?(yes/no): ")
  21.        
  22.     if opt.lower() == 'yes':
  23.         ret=False
  24.     elif opt.lower() == 'no':
  25.         ret=True
  26.         print("Exiting program....")
  27.     else:
  28.         print("Please enter yes/no:")
  29.         break
  30.  
  31.     if ret == False:
  32.         continue

This Python program generates all n-bit Gray codes using recursion by constructing codes with a mirrored pattern—prefixing '0' to the first half and '1' to the reversed second half of the previous result—and repeatedly prompts the user to try again.

Output:

There you have it we successfully created How to Generate Gray Codes Recursively in Python. I hope that this simple tutorial help you to what you are looking for. For more updates and tutorials just kindly visit this site. Enjoy Coding!

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