How best to convert a string "list" to a python list

[MRAB]

On 13/05/2011 18:15, noydb wrote:
> I want some code to take the items in a semi-colon-delimted string
> "list" and places each in a python list.  I came up with below.  In
> the name of learning how to do things properly, do you experts have a
> better way of doing it?
>
> Thanks for any inputs!
>
> ***
> x = "red;blue;green;yellow" ## string of semi-colon delimited colors
>
> color_list = []
> ## sc = semi-colon
>
> while x.find(";")<>  -1:
>      sc_pos = x.find(";")
>      current_color = x[0:sc_pos] ## color w/o sc
>      current_color_sc = x[0:sc_pos+1] ## color with sc
>      color_list.append(current_color) ## append color to list
>      x = x.replace(current_color_sc, "") ## remove color and sc from
> string
>      print current_color
>      print color_list
>      print x + "\n"
>
> color_list.append(x) # append last color left in x (no sc at end of
> string)
> print color_list
>
> print "done"

 >>> x = "red;blue;green;yellow"
 >>> x.split(";")
['red', 'blue', 'green', 'yellow']