Script doesn't run in shell (python)

Question

Whenever I create a script and try to run it in the shell I get what looks like a loop. I'll type out my code, exactly how the instructor has it, and when I go to my shell to run it, it will continue to say treehouse: -/workspace$ over and over or syntaxerror. 
shopping_list []
def show_help():
  print("What should we pick up at the store?")
  print("""
Enter 'DONE' to stop adding items.
Enter 'HELP' for this help.
Enter 'SHOW' to see your current list.
""")
show_help()  
while True:
  new_item = input("> ")
  if newitem == 'DONE':
      break
  elif newitem == 'HELP':
      show_help()
      continue
  shoppinglist.append(newitem)
    print("Here's your list:")
(SHELL VIEW)
treehouse: -/workspace$ python shoppinglist2.py
     File "shoppinglist2.py", line 5
        shopping_list []
                                 ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
treehouse:-/workspace$

Haider Ali · Accepted Answer

Variable assignment requires an = sign. You have not used = when assigning an empty list to your shopping_list variable. Also, there are a few other things wrong with your code. For example, you have not changed the user's input to upper case but in the conditional statement you wrote if new_item == 'DONE'. I have fixed your code for you and it should work how you want it to:
```python
shopping_list = []
def show_help():
    print("What should we pick up at the store?")
    print(" Enter 'DONE' to stop adding items. Enter 'HELP' for this help. Enter 'SHOW' to see your current list. ")
show_help()
while True:
    new_item = input("> ").upper()
if new_item == 'DONE':
    break
elif new_item == 'HELP':
    show_help()
    continue
elif new_item == 'SHOW':
    print("Here's your list: {}".format(shopping_list))

shopping_list.append(new_item)
```

Duraen Kingsley · Answer

Thanks, Haider. 
After plugging the revised code in as my new script:
```python
shopping_list = []
def show_help():
    print("What should we pick up at the store?")
    print(" Enter 'DONE' to stop adding items. Enter 'HELP' for this help. Enter 'SHOW' to see your current list. ")
show_help()
while True:
    new_item = input("> ").upper()
if new_item == 'DONE':
    break
elif new_item == 'HELP':
    show_help()
    continue
elif new_item == 'SHOW':
    print("Here's your list: {}".format(shopping_list))

shopping_list.append(new_item)
```
I'm still getting the below message in the shell:
invalid syntax error. 
treehouse:-/workspace$ python shoppinglist2.py
      file "shoppinglist2.py", line 5
         shopping_list []
                                 ^

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Duraen Kingsley

Duraen Kingsley

Script doesn't run in shell (python)

2 Answers

Haider Ali

Haider Ali

Duraen Kingsley

Duraen Kingsley

Haider Ali

Haider Ali