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Python Python Basics (2015) Letter Game App Random Item

Posted by John Cuddihy
John Cuddihy
5,493 Points

returning random integer as member in a string

Could someone look at this and give me pointers at what I need to be doing, getting very frustrated as this is the 5th exercise in a row I'm not able to complete, getting no where

item.py 
# EXAMPLE
# random_item("Treehouse")
# The randomly selected number is 4.
# The return value would be "h"
import random

def random_item([Treehouse]):
    num = random.randit([Treehouse])-1
    while num > 0 and num <= len([Treehouse]):
        return num in [Treehouse]

2 Answers

Steve Hunter
Steve Hunter
57,712 Points

Hi John,

I got through this without a while loop. I took the incoming string (the parameter) and then used its length and zero with randint to assign a random number, between length and zero, into num, as you did. I then returned the [num] element of the input_string, like so:

import random

def random_item(input_string):
    num = random.randint(0, len(input_string) - 1)
    return input_string[num]

I hope that helps,

Steve.

John Cuddihy
John Cuddihy
5,493 Points

Thanks Steve

Steve Hunter
Steve Hunter
57,712 Points

No problem! :+1: :smile:

Jeremy Hill
Jeremy Hill
29,567 Points
Jeremy Hill
Jeremy Hill
29,567 Points

Try it like this:

import random

def random_item(some_string):
    index = random.randint(0, len(some_string)-1)
    return some_string[index]