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Python Python Collections (Retired) Slices sillyCase

Duarte Reis
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Duarte Reis
Python Web Development Techdegree Student 897 Points
Posted by Duarte Reis
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Duarte Reis
Python Web Development Techdegree Student 897 Points

Got it right, not sure about the code

Hi, the code I came up to solve the challenge was this one:

def sillycase (string):
    half = int(len(string)/2+1)
    half1 = string[:half].lower()
    half2= string [half:].upper()
    return half1+half2

However, I was only able to get to this code by reparing 2 mystakes:

1 : first, I had defined half as:

 half = len(string)/2

I got and error saying that index must be an integer. Since the len() function returns a number, isn't it safe to assume it will be an integer? Or is it because the half can be a double?

2: I had half1 defined as:

half1 = string[:half+1].lower()

It didn't get the result it was supposed to. It was like it wasn't considering the addition I was making to the stop index. I was able to solve it by adding it to the half variable. What is wrong here

Is my code clean or could I do something different to get the result?

Hope you can help.

Thanks in advance.

Duarte

2 Answers

Andreas cormack
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Andreas cormack
Python Web Development Techdegree Graduate 33,011 Points

Hi Duarte

You can simplify your code a lot more. You basically want to get a rounded down integer representing the half way point of the string. See below how i did it.

def sillycase(mystring):
    half = round(len(mystring)/2)
    return mystring[:half].lower()+mystring[half:].upper()
Duarte Reis
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.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Duarte Reis
Python Web Development Techdegree Student 897 Points
Duarte Reis
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Duarte Reis
Python Web Development Techdegree Student 897 Points

Hi Andreas, thanks a lot for your reply!

So, I understand that if you are making that round() the problem with my "len(string)/2" was that it was a double?

I have 2 questions about your code:

1 - I understand a little of VBA and I'm used to declare everything I make. Every step I take. Because it is a definition and I will just use what it returns I don't need to do it and I can simplify? When I'm writting other code is it still fine to simplify this way?

2 - what was the problem with the my initial variable:

half1 = string[:half+1].lower()

Thanks a lot!

Duarte

Andreas cormack
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Andreas cormack
Python Web Development Techdegree Graduate 33,011 Points

Hi Duarte

Yes len(string)/2 return a double. When you try to slice it expects an integer and not a double.

Languages like VBA are all strongly typed languages, meaning you need to tell the compiler what the variable is in advance for ex String a = "Hello". Python on the other hand is a loosely typed language, so you can say a= "hello" or a=22 both are valid syntax.

half1 = string[:half+1].lower()# half1=treeh and not tree