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Python Python Collections (Retired) Dictionaries Membership

Posted by cbcbcb
cbcbcb
16,560 Points

I'm stuck. Any idea if I'm using the wrong syntax for the try/except blocks and/or referencing list items?

Here is my code.

I appreciate the help in advance if any is given.

I'm not trying to have someone solve it for me just point me in the right direction as I can't use Eclipse for debugging or code completion as my crutch due to the laptop I'm using.

def members(a_dict, a_list):
  num = 0;
  index = 0;
  while index <= len(a_list):
    try:
      keyword = a_list(index);
      dic_key = a_dict[keyword];
      if len(dic_key) > 0:
        num = num + 1;
    except:
      keyword = a_list(index);
      print("{} does not exist.".format(keyword));
    index = index + 1;
  return num;

1 Answer

Kenneth Love
STAFF
Kenneth Love
Treehouse Guest Teacher
Kenneth Love
Kenneth Love
Treehouse Guest Teacher

Couple of things.

  1. you can just loop through a list, getting each item of the list. for x in y:, where x is what you want to call a thing in the list, and y is the list. For example: for book in library: No reason to have an index or anything.
  2. read the comments I put into the starter file. There's an easier way to see if a key belongs to a dictionary than using try/except.
  3. why are you calling a_list like it's a function?

Also, why all the semicolons? They won't hurt anything, but they're definitely not needed in Python.