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Python Python Collections (Retired) Dictionaries Teacher Stats

Problem with Task 4: Bummer! You returned 5 courses, you should have returned 18 EDIT!: Solved, but still a question.

I have no idea where the 18 classes are coming from when the list only has 5. I am guessing that its an issue with the challenge not wanting an input, but I have no idea how to get around having an input to pass to the function. I seem to be having this problem a lot, and usually I can figure it out, but I am stumped on this one

The error I am getting is Bummer! You returned 5 courses, you should have returned 18

NOTE: The prints are there so I can check my work was I go

teachers.py
# The dictionary will be something like:
# {'Jason Seifer': ['Ruby Foundations', 'Ruby on Rails Forms', 'Technology Foundations'],
#  'Kenneth Love': ['Python Basics', 'Python Collections']}
#
# Often, it's a good idea to hold onto a max_count variable.
# Update it when you find a teacher with more classes than
# the current count. Better hold onto the teacher name somewhere
# too!
#
# Your code goes below here.
dict ={'Jason Seifer': ['Ruby Foundations', 'Ruby on Rails Forms', 'Technology Foundations'], 'Kenneth Love': ['Python Basics', 'Python Collections']}
def most_classes(dict):
    max_classes = 0
    for entry in dict:
        if len(dict[entry]) > max_classes:
            max_classes = len(dict[entry])
            max_teacher = entry
    return (max_teacher)

#Count the number of teachers in the dictionary
def num_teachers(dict):
    teacher_qty = 0
    for entry in dict:
        teacher_qty += 1
    return teacher_qty

#Now, create a function named stats that takes the teacher dictionary. Return a list of lists in the format [<teacher name>, <number of classes>]. 
#For example, one item in the list would be ['Dave McFarland', 1].
def stats(dict):
    teacher_stats = []
    for entry in dict:
        teacher_stats.append([entry,len(dict[entry])])
    return teacher_stats

#Great work! Finally, write a function named courses that takes the teachers dictionary. 
#It should return a single list of all of the courses offered by all of the teachers.
def courses(dict):
    class_list = []
    for entry in dict:
        class_list.append(", ".join(dict[entry]))
    return class_list

print(most_classes(dict))
print(num_teachers(dict))
print(stats(dict))
print(courses(dict))

EDIT:

I figured out my problem. When I was pulling the items out of the list with the first join it was giving me 'a,b,c' instead of 'a','b','c'.

def courses(dict):
    class_list = []
    for entry in dict:
        class_list.append(", ".join(dict[entry]))
    class_list = ",".join(class_list)
    class_list = class_list.split(',')
    return class_list

Was there any nicer way to do this? I felt like at first they wanted a format function call, but I couldn't find a nice way to do it without rewriting the dictionary to read {'classes':'a','b','c' , 'classes':'d','e','f'}

1 Answer

Chris Freeman
MOD
Chris Freeman
Treehouse Moderator 68,454 Points

The easiest way is to extend (docs) instead of append:

def courses(dict):
    class_list = []
    for entry in dict:
        class_list.extend(dict[entry])
    return class_list