How can I get python to enumarate through an array instead of through a string

[Nancy Eustice]

I want to enumerate through an array called zones; within each zone I want to enumerate through another array zoneIDX{X} (X is the index of the zones array) When I make a new variable called snotelIDX and then try to enumerate through the array that the new variable is associated with it enumerates through the string instead of the array

zones=["Zone 1 - Yellowstone NP","Zone 2 - Absaroka Mtns","Zone 7 - Owl Creek/Bridger Mtns","Zone 8 - Bighorn Mtns West"]
##  Snotels in Zone 1 - Yellowstone NP
zoneIDX0=["CANYON","LEWIS LAKE DIVIDE","SNAKE RIVER STATION","SYLVAN LAKE","SYLVAN ROAD","THUMB DIVIDE","TWO OCEAN PLATEAU"]
## Snotels in Zone 2 - Absaroka Mtns
zoneIDX1=["BEARTOOTH LAKE","BLACKWATER","BURROUGHS CREEK","CASTLE CREEK","EVENING STAR","KIRWIN","MARQUETTE","PARKER PEAK","TIMBER CREEK","WOLVERINE","YOUNTS PEAK"]
## Snotels in Zone 7 - Owl Creek/Bridger Mtns
zoneIDX2=["OWL CREEK"]
## Snotels in Zone 8 - Bighorn Mtns West
zoneIDX3=["BALD MOUNTAIN","BONE SPRINGS DIVIDE","POWDER RIVER PASS","SHELL CREEK"]

for j, v in enumerate(zones):
		IDX = j
		snotelIDX = "zoneIDX" + str(IDX)
		for k, w in enumerate(snotelIDX):

if I print snotelIDX it prints the right thing
zoneIDX0
zoneIDX1
zoneIDX2 and so on
but enumerates through s n o t e l I D X
thanks

[bvdet]

Python is doing exactly what you told it to do. You are assigning a string to the variable snote1IDX. A string is a sequence similar to a list. Are you trying to assign each element in zones to a variable identifier? If so, this can be accomplished using globals().updat e() or exec().

for j, v in enumerate(zones):
    globals().update({"snote1%s" % j: v})
    for k, w in enumerate(v):
        print "snote1%s" % j, w

# another way
for j, v in enumerate(zones):
    exec "snote2%s=v" % (j)

Note that v is a reference to the sublist in zones so that any modification to v will also modify the sublist in zones.

Or did you mean to do this:

for j, v in enumerate(zones):
        IDX = j
        snotelIDX = "zoneIDX" + str(IDX)
        for k, w in enumerate(v):

[Nancy Eustice]

What I want is to enumerate through the zones and within each zone enumerate through the zoneIDX that goes with the zone out put like
Zone 1 - Yellowstone NP
CANYON
LEWIS LAKE DIVIDE
SNAKE RIVER STATION
SYLVAN LAKE
SYLVAN ROAD
THUMB DIVIDE
TWO OCEAN PLATEAU
Zone 2 - Absaroka Mtns
BEARTOOTH LAKE
BLACKWATER
BURROUGHS CREEK
CASTLE CREEK
EVENING STAR
KIRWIN
MARQUETTE
PARKER PEAK
TIMBER CREEK
WOLVERINE
YOUNTS PEAK
Zone 7 - Owl Creek/Bridger Mtns
OWL CREEK
Zone 8 - Bighorn Mtns West
BALD MOUNTAIN
BONE SPRINGS DIVIDE
POWDER RIVER PASS
SHELL CREEK

I tried the suggestions but it did not enumerate through them correctly
Thanks for your help

[dwblas]

You would use two lists that correspond to each other.

zones=["Zone 1 - Yellowstone NP","Zone 2 - Absaroka Mtns","Zone 7 - Owl Creek/Bridger Mtns","Zone 8 - Bighorn Mtns West"]
##  Snotels in Zone 1 - Yellowstone NP
zoneIDX0=["CANYON","LEWIS LAKE DIVIDE","SNAKE RIVER STATION","SYLVAN LAKE","SYLVAN ROAD","THUMB DIVIDE","TWO OCEAN PLATEAU"]
## Snotels in Zone 2 - Absaroka Mtns
zoneIDX1=["BEARTOOTH LAKE","BLACKWATER","BURROUGHS CREEK","CASTLE CREEK","EVENING STAR","KIRWIN","MARQUETTE","PARKER PEAK","TIMBER CREEK","WOLVERINE","YOUNTS PEAK"]
## Snotels in Zone 7 - Owl Creek/Bridger Mtns
zoneIDX2=["OWL CREEK"]
## Snotels in Zone 8 - Bighorn Mtns West
zoneIDX3=["BALD MOUNTAIN","BONE SPRINGS DIVIDE","POWDER RIVER PASS","SHELL CREEK"]
zone_desc = [zoneIDX0, zoneIDX1, zoneIDX2, zoneIDX3]

for ctr in range(len(zones)):
    print zones[ctr]
    for descr in zone_desc[ctr]:
        print "     ", descr

[Nancy Eustice]

dwblas - Thank you so much; Your code suggestion worked perfectly; just what I wanted.
Thank you for taking the time to help me out!!!!