[Tutor] How convert an int to a string

[Dave Angel]

On 06/22/2013 07:03 PM, Jim Byrnes wrote:
> On 06/22/2013 05:10 PM, David Rock wrote:
>> * Jim Byrnes <jf_byrnes at comcast.net> [2013-06-22 16:01]:
>>> I need to convert a series of digits like 060713 to a string so I can
>>> make it look like a date 06-07-13.
>>>
>>>   >>> a = 060713
>>>   >>> a[:2]
>>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>>     File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
>>> TypeError: 'int' object has no attribute '__getitem__'
>>>   >>> b = str(a)
>>>   >>> b[:2]
>>> '25'
>>>   >>> b
>>> '25035'
>>>   >>>
>>>
>>> I was confused at first but then realized that the  0  makes it octal. I
>>> thought str() would do it but it didn't. Reading about str() it talks of
>>> string representation.  So how can I convert it to a true string I can
>>> slice and build my date look a like?
>>
>> Is there a requirement to store them as numbers in the first place?  Why
>> not just store them as a string?
>>
>> a = '060713'
>>
>
> Yes. I am scripting data entry in a spreadsheet.  I can enter the 6
> numbers

Six digits, not numbers.

> quite rapidly using the number pad but entering the " - "'s to
> make it look like a date slows me down.  So I thought I would let python
> do that for me.
>

I don't have any experience with using Rxlorg to script the Gemdaddy 
spreadsheet program.  Maybe if you actually got specific, somebody would 
have familiarity with the ones you're using.

Most likely all you have to do is specify with the spreadsheet that the 
user is to enter a string.  If it makes some sort of assumption that 
strings cannot start with a digit, then it's just broken.

In some spreadsheets, the user enter a leading equals-sign to indicate 
the type of data to follow.


-- 
DaveA