list manipulation

[DataSmash]

Hello,

I have a list that looks like this:
roadList = ["Motorways","Lo cal","Arterial "]

I want to apply some code so that the output looks like this:
"Motorways;Loca l;Arterial"

....in other words, I want each item in the list separated by a ';' and
then the whole thing surrounded by quotes.

How can this be done with the LEAST amount of code?

I appreciate your help!
R.D.

[Joe Riopel]

Re: list manipulation

On Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 4:55 PM, DataSmash <rdh@new.rr.com wrote:

Hello,
>
I have a list that looks like this:
roadList = ["Motorways","Lo cal","Arterial "]
>
I want to apply some code so that the output looks like this:
"Motorways;Loca l;Arterial"
How can this be done with the LEAST amount of code?

Not sure if it's LEAST amount of code, or the best, but it works.

>>li = ["Motorways","Lo cal","Arterial "]
>>'\"%s\"' % (''.join(['%s;' % (x,) for x in li]),)

'"Motorways;Loc al;Arterial;"'

>>>

[Mike Driscoll]

Re: list manipulation

On Apr 22, 3:55 pm, DataSmash <r...@new.rr.co mwrote:

Hello,
>
I have a list that looks like this:
roadList = ["Motorways","Lo cal","Arterial "]
>
I want to apply some code so that the output looks like this:
"Motorways;Loca l;Arterial"
>
...in other words, I want each item in the list separated by a ';' and
then the whole thing surrounded by quotes.
>
How can this be done with the LEAST amount of code?
>
I appreciate your help!
R.D.

Well you could always do something like this:

output = ';'.join(roadLi st)

Which will put single quotes on the ends. I suppose if you want to be
silly, you could do this:

output = '"%s"' % ';'.join(roadLi st)

HTH

Mike

[DataSmash]

Re: list manipulation

Joe & Mike,
Thanks for your input!
R.D.

[John Machin]

Re: list manipulation

Joe Riopel wrote:

On Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 4:55 PM, DataSmash <rdh@new.rr.com wrote:

>Hello,
>>
> I have a list that looks like this:
> roadList = ["Motorways","Lo cal","Arterial "]
>>
> I want to apply some code so that the output looks like this:
> "Motorways;Loca l;Arterial"
> How can this be done with the LEAST amount of code?

>
Not sure if it's LEAST amount of code, or the best, but it works.

It's definitely not the least (see below) and it doesn't work -- it puts
a ; after the last list item.

>

>>>li = ["Motorways","Lo cal","Arterial "]
>>>'\"%s\"' % (''.join(['%s;' % (x,) for x in li]),)

'"Motorways;Loc al;Arterial;"'

That is littered with redundant punctuation. Removing it:

>>'"%s"' % ''.join('%s;' % x for x in li)

'"Motorways;Loc al;Arterial;"'

Note: that would need the [] put back for Python < 2.4. But in any case
we can further reduce it like this:

>>'"%s;"' % ';'.join(li)

'"Motorways;Loc al;Arterial;"'

>>>

Now we have minimal, legible code which works on Python back to 2.1 at
least and is only one thump of the Delete key away from what the OP
asked for.

HTH,
John

[John Machin]

Re: list manipulation

Mike Driscoll wrote:

Well you could always do something like this:
>
output = ';'.join(roadLi st)
>
Which will put single quotes on the ends.

No, it doesn't. You are conflating foo and repr(foo).

I suppose if you want to be

silly, you could do this:
>
output = '"%s"' % ';'.join(roadLi st)

*IF* your first effort were to put single quotes on the ends
('the-text') then your second effort would certainly produce something
silly ... either '"the-text"' or "'the-text'" depending on which of the
assignment or the join method you imagined was producing the single quotes.

[Mike Driscoll]

Re: list manipulation

John Machin wrote:

Mike Driscoll wrote:
>

>Well you could always do something like this:
>>
>output = ';'.join(roadLi st)
>>
>Which will put single quotes on the ends.

>
No, it doesn't. You are conflating foo and repr(foo).
>
I suppose if you want to be

>silly, you could do this:
>>
>output = '"%s"' % ';'.join(roadLi st)

>
*IF* your first effort were to put single quotes on the ends
('the-text') then your second effort would certainly produce something
silly ... either '"the-text"' or "'the-text'" depending on which of
the assignment or the join method you imagined was producing the
single quotes.
--
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list

Well, in IDLE's output, it looked like what the OP wanted and the OP
seemed to find my examples helpful. Besides, you did almost the exact
same thing in your final example.

Mike