Python if-statement with variable mathematical operator

Question

I\'m trying to insert a variable mathematical operator into a if statement, an example of what I\'m trying to achieve in parsing user-supplied mathematical expressions:

Answer 1

I've tried using exec and eval but neither work in an if statement

For the sake of completeness it should be mentioned that they do work, even if the posted answers provide a better solution. You'll have to eval() the whole comparison, not just the operator:

maths_operator = "=="

if eval('"test"' + maths_operator '"test"'):
       print "match found"

or exec the line:

exec 'if "test"' + maths_operator + '"test": print "match found"'