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Python Python Collections (2016, retired 2019) Dictionaries String Formatting with Dictionaries

james mchugh
james mchugh
6,234 Points
Posted by james mchugh
james mchugh
6,234 Points

The output from `favorite_food()` should be a string.

You've used the string .format() method before to fill in blank placeholders. If you use a placeholder of {food} in the string, then you pass a keyword argument of food to .format(). The {food} placeholder in the string will be replaced with the value of the food keyword argument.

"Hi, I'm {name} and I love to eat {food}!".format(name="Kenneth", food="tacos")

Returns "Hi, I'm Kenneth and I love to eat tacos!"

Complete the favorite_food function below. It accepts a dictionary as an argument. Your function should unpack that dictionary and pass it to the format method as keywords, then return the resulting string. I heard entering the question and error message can get you more direct answers to your problem.

string_factory.py 
def favorite_food(dict):
    def packer(**kwargs):
        print(kwargs)
    def unpacker(name, food):
        if name and food:
            return "Hi, I'm {name} and I love to eat {food}!".format(name,food)

3 Answers

Cameron Barton
Cameron Barton
9,290 Points
Cameron Barton
Cameron Barton
9,290 Points

Hey James,

This one also took me a while playing in Visual Studio Code. You did not need a packer function as favorite_food was ready to take an entire dictionary which just needed unpacked. The validation in the editor was finicky and kept giving me an error that favorite_food was supposed to return a string which is why I had to add the "result =".

def favorite_food(dict):

    def unpacker(name, food):
        if name and food:
            greeting = "Hi, I'm {} and I love to eat {}!".format(name,food)
        else:
            greeting = "Hello no name!"
        return greeting

    result = unpacker(**(dict))
    return result
favorite_food({"name": "Cameron", "food": "Sushi"})
james mchugh
james mchugh
6,234 Points
james mchugh
james mchugh
6,234 Points

Cameron, Thanks for helping on that one. There was so much going on in that challenge. I don't know if I could have ever figured it out on my own. I've saved it in my notes for future references. I like sushi too! Thanks,

James

Christopher Kehl
Christopher Kehl
18,180 Points
Christopher Kehl
Christopher Kehl
18,180 Points

I'll tell you, the video did not go with the lesson.

james mchugh
james mchugh
6,234 Points
james mchugh
james mchugh
6,234 Points

Yeah I finished that part and I'm going to try another programming language/instructor.

Nicholas Tonn
Nicholas Tonn
3,288 Points
Nicholas Tonn
Nicholas Tonn
3,288 Points

The dict in this question is already created. It wanted us to "unpack" the dict 'in' the .format string. If you watch the video again, the instructor demonstrates the .format(**) as the unpacker.

def favorite_food(dict):
    return "Hi, I'm {name} and I love to eat {food}!".format(**dict)