Regex "The Basics" First 5 objectives Something strange I noticed Don't know if its intentional or not??

Question

Here's the challenge: http://teamtreehouse.com/library/regular-expressions-in-python/introduction-to-regular-expressions/the-basics

Challenge Task 1 of 5 Use open() to load the file "basics.txt" into the variable file_object.

I use this code:

file_object = open("basics.txt", encoding="utf-8")
data = file_object.read()
file_object.close()

The above code gets me past the first 3 challenges

Notice I'm not using this import statement:

import re

..at the beginning of the code.

Then I get to:

Challenge Task 4 of 5

..where it explicitly tells me to do the import:

Import re. Create an re.match() for the word "Four" in the data variable. Assign this to a new variable named first.

So what happens if I add the fourth line of code without the import re.

file_object = open("basics.txt", encoding="utf-8")
data = file_object.read()
file_object.close()
first = re.match('Four', data)

I know this fourth line is correct will pass,

if import re was included

However...(the plot thickens..)

The error I think I should get is: Bummer! Did you forget to use import re

Instead the error I get is:

Oops! It looks like Task 1 is no longer passing.

Weirder still...

If I use these code lines (which included the import re line of code)

import re

file_object = open("basics.txt", encoding="utf-8")
data = file_object.read()
file_object.close()

the first 3 challenges pass just fine (even though it never told me to use import re until the 4th of 5th challenge)

Hmmmm...is this the usual (expected) behavior? (just wondering...)

From what I've seen not to many people have posted forum posts using these search parameters: https://teamtreehouse.com/forum/syllabus:1132 https://teamtreehouse.com/forum/stage:4612

..so this small 'glitch' might not have been picked up by anyone else..

Answer 1 · 2015-06-05T23:02:06Z

June 5, 2015 11:02pm

import re file_object = open("basics.txt", encoding="utf-8") data = file_object.read() file_object.close() first = re.match('Four', data) libery = re.search ('Liberty', data)

Answer 2 · 2015-01-05T06:02:50Z

January 5, 2015 6:02am

I don't think you can take the treehouse as the replicating correctly python/php etc.. However did you click on the view button (forgot whats it called editor/view output or something, Just to the right of check work).. that should give you more correct and thorough errors.

I sometimes have a connection problem with treehouse when i am on stages 3 or 4. so what I do is i copy the entire code and refresh & paste.. and just press check work until I get to the stage where i left off and treehouse DOESNT moan why there is extra code.. I think their criteria is that it does what they require you at that stage AND there is no compiler error.. for example if you included import somethingTHatdoesntExist... it would give you an error..

Answer 3 · 2018-03-30T04:33:26Z

March 30, 2018 4:33am

import re

file_object = open("basics.txt", encoding="utf-8") data = file_object.read()

file_object.close()

Bummer! Did you close the file? whats going on?

Answer 4 · 2018-04-01T15:02:51Z

April 1, 2018 3:02pm

Still no update on this answer in other new posts? Kenneth Love?

Answer 5 · 2018-08-23T09:27:16Z

August 23, 2018 9:27am

this one works for me

file_object = open("basics.txt")

Answer 6 · 2015-01-05T23:14:39Z

January 5, 2015 11:14pm

Why would a currently unneeded import cause the challenge to fail? It's just unnecessary code, it's not a bug. You wouldn't expect the challenge to fail because you wrote a completely unnecessary and unreferenced function, would you?

And, shez azr there's not really any "replicating" going on. We take your code and run it through Python to make sure it actually does what it's supposed to do.

Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Looking to learn something new?

james white

james white

Regex "The Basics" First 5 objectives Something strange I noticed Don't know if its intentional or not??

6 Answers

Annie Scott

Annie Scott

shezazr

shezazr

Warren Gates

Warren Gates

Dominque Cox

Dominque Cox

Clayton Sibanda

Clayton Sibanda

Kenneth Love

Kenneth Love

shezazr

shezazr

Kenneth Love

Kenneth Love