[Tutor] problem solved

Kirk Bailey idiot1@netzero.net
Fri May 2 02:03:01 2003


ok, here it goes.
string.find(bigstring, substring) returns a -1 if the substring is NOT found.
However, for a IF statement, a FALSE is a ZERO (0) and ONLY a 0 will do; a -1 is a TRUE, 
which I played with interactively in python to test out.

Further, if the saught strung is found at THE VERY BEGINNING of the larger string, the 
returned vaslue is ZERO, as python is zero baised.

So I wrote this wrapper:
def wrongline(s,ss):    # converts the -1 to a ZERO (a NOT)
         x=string.find(s, ss)# so we can use it in a IF statelemt!
         x=x+1
         return x                        # return the X value
#
so if the substring is not found, it returns a ZERO, and any other result, indicating a 
HIT, returns a value greater than ZERO, allowing this simple function to drive a 
IF/THEN/ELSE flow structure with no pain or strain at all

My program now works, thanks to brute force and persistance. May this effort humbly 
offered to the community prove educational.
.
-- 

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Respectfully,
              Kirk D Bailey

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