Chris Green <c...@isbd.net> writes:
> I have a list created by:-
>
> fld = shlex.split(ln)
>
> It may contain 3, 4 or 5 entries according to data read into ln.
Because of what an index means for the 'list' type, that's equivalent to
saying "the result of `len(fld)` may be 3, 4, or 5".
> What's the neatest way of setting the fourth and fifth entries to an
> empty string if they don't (yet) exist?
You have the right idea: testing the length of the object is a correct
and expressive way to ask "is there an item at this index in the list".
> Using 'if len(fld) < 4:' feels clumsy somehow.
One reason I finx that clumsy is that you're testing against a
hard-coded value; and you'd have to write a loop to get the value each
time.
You can use a comprehension, iterating over the full range of index you
want::
words = shlex.split(line)
padding_length = 5
words_padded = [
(words[index] if index < len(words))
for index in range(padding_length)]
That accomplishes the construction of the padded list in a single
expression, hopefully expressive, and definitely making use of whatever
optimisations the in-built comprehension mechanics provide.
--
\ “Pray, v. To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in |
`\ behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy.” —Ambrose |
_o__) Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_, 1906 |
Ben Finney
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