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Python

Posted by Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points

Python Collections/Dictionaries/String formatting with dictionaries

I can't even make this work in workspaces. What am I doing wrong? (I did not copy over the dicts list, but imagine it is there)

string = "Hi, I'm {name} and I love to eat {food}!"

def string_factory(dicts,string):
  count = 0
  string_list = []
  for item in dicts:
    string_list[count] = string.format(**dicts[count])
    count += 1
    print(string_list[count])

string_factory(dicts,string)

4 Answers

vdivekar
vdivekar
3,544 Points

It will really be easier and faster to troubleshoot if there's a direct link to the code challenge in question. Sometimes the code will not be "wrong" but it just won't give you what the question was asking. That's was the problem with the sillycase function. In this case, I don't know what dicts is supposed to be, or what the function's goal is. My guesses are that maybe there's a return missing like last time, or that line with the print should be indented once less than it currently is? You are also not using item, even though you wrote it to start the for-loop, so maybe you mean

string_list[count] = string.format(**item[count])

Also, if item is itself a dictionary, you don't have to write out [count].

Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points

Sorry, here is the entire code with the dictionary:

dicts = [
    {'name': 'Michelangelo',
     'food': 'PIZZA'},
    {'name': 'Garfield',
     'food': 'lasanga'},
    {'name': 'Walter',
     'food': 'pancakes'},
    {'name': 'Galactus',
     'food': 'worlds'}
]

string = "Hi, I'm {name} and I love to eat {food}!"

def string_factory(dicts,string):
  count = 0
  string_list = []
  for item in dicts:
    string_list[count] = string.format(**dicts[count])
    count += 1
    print(string_list[count])

string_factory(dicts,string)
Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points

No, I am just using item to loop through dicts, which is a list of dictionaries. So dicts[0] is the first dictionary, dicts[1] is the second. One by one, each dictionary is used to fill out the string.

Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points
Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points

My other problem is that I cannot get returns to work in my workspaces code. So I just leave them out and use print statements to check that I got what I wanted. But then I forget to put the returns in when I transfer my code to the course.

Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points
Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points

I got it to work. Thanks so much for your help. Here is my code:

my_dicts = [
    {'name': 'Michelangelo',
     'food': 'PIZZA'},
    {'name': 'Garfield',
     'food': 'lasanga'},
    {'name': 'Walter',
     'food': 'pancakes'},
    {'name': 'Galactus',
     'food': 'worlds'}
]

my_string = "Hi, I'm {name} and I love to eat {food}!"

def string_factory(my_dicts,my_string):
  count = 0
  string_list = []
  for item in my_dicts:
    string_list.append(my_string.format(**my_dicts[count]))
    count += 1
  print(string_list)  
  return string_list

string_factory(my_dicts,my_string)
Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points

Sorry about that, I thought I added they symbols for formatting. I will try again:

my_dicts = [
    {'name': 'Michelangelo',
     'food': 'PIZZA'},
    {'name': 'Garfield',
     'food': 'lasanga'},
    {'name': 'Walter',
     'food': 'pancakes'},
    {'name': 'Galactus',
     'food': 'worlds'}
]

my_string = "Hi, I'm {name} and I love to eat {food}!"

def string_factory(my_dicts,my_string):
  count = 0
  string_list = []
  for item in my_dicts:
    string_list.append(my_string.format(**my_dicts[count]))
    count += 1
  print(string_list)  
  return string_list

string_factory(my_dicts,my_string)
vdivekar
vdivekar
3,544 Points

No problem, I was writing up a few things about your first reply but it looks like you beat me back here :). Couple things:

  • When you write the language you want to post code in, it's all lowercase.
  • Are you trying to use return in the workspace or the console?
  • If you're going with using item, then you don't need count, because you can use the append() method.
  • if you're going to use count, then don't use item. Your loop can begin with for count in range(len(dicts))

Last two points are more to do with helping your code be easier to run, and not so much about making it correct.

Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points
Elizabeth McInerney
Elizabeth McInerney
3,175 Points

Ah, thanks for the lowercase tip, yes, I probably did that wrong. I have got return working in both places now. I guess I just prefer print in the workspace because I am usually trying to figure out what I did wrong, then I forget to switch to return when I move my code to the console. Thanks for the for count tip, I see how that would work. Yes, I see that I need to compress my code. It is working though.