Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

Python Python Basics (2015) Shopping List App Refactor

Canen McCaslin
Canen McCaslin
552 Points
Posted by Canen McCaslin
Canen McCaslin
552 Points

Bummer!Try again!

It seems that I need assistance on all of the problems I come across. That scares me. I have tweaked this in every way that I could think of and would appreciate some help at this point.

The instructions: This challenge is a little different. You shouldn't have to write very much code.

You probably recognize this code. It's pretty much our shopping_list_2.py from before. I want you to help me with a little refactor, though. Refactoring is when we change code to make it better, often by creating new functions.

Create a new function named main that doesn't take any arguments.

Move everything from line 22 (show_help()) and below into your new function. You shouldn't have any code that isn't inside of a function.

shopping_list.py 
def show_help():
    # print out instructions on how to use the app
    print("What should we pick up at the store?")
    print("""
Enter 'DONE' to stop adding items.
Enter 'HELP' for this help.
Enter 'SHOW' to see your current list.
""")

def show_list(shopping_list):
    # print out the list
    print("Here's your list:")

    for item in shopping_list:
        print(item)

def add_to_list(shopping_list, new_item):
    # add new items to our list
    shopping_list.append(new_item)
    print("Added {}. List now has {} items.".format(new_item, len(shopping_list)))
    return shopping_list

def main():   
    show_help()
    # make a list to hold onto our items
    shopping_list = []

    while True:
    # ask for new items
        new_item = input("> ")

    # be able to quit the app
    if new_item == 'DONE':
        break
    elif new_item == 'HELP':
        show_help()
        continue
    elif new_item == 'SHOW':
        show_list(shopping_list)
        continue
    add_to_list(shopping_list, new_item)

show_list(shopping_list)

3 Answers

Jennifer Nordell
seal-mask
STAFF
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse Teacher
Jennifer Nordell
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse Teacher

Hi there, Canen! While Ken Alger is correct that your show_list should be inside your main, you also need to indent everything below the while and before the last show_list inside the while loop.

Hope this helps! :sparkles:

edited for additional tip :bulb: The idea behind this exercise was to put everything inside the main() function while retaining the original structure. The easiest way to do this was to write def main(): and then go down line by line and indent each line one tab to the right from its current position. If the line was already indented once, it will now be indented two times etc.

Ken Alger
STAFF
Ken Alger
Treehouse Teacher
Ken Alger
Ken Alger
Treehouse Teacher

Canen;

That last line in your code, show_list... isn't inside your main() method.

Try that and see if it helps.

Ken

Canen McCaslin
Canen McCaslin
552 Points
Canen McCaslin
Canen McCaslin
552 Points

Still receiving the same error.

Ken Alger
Ken Alger
Treehouse Teacher
Ken Alger
Ken Alger
Treehouse Teacher

Can you post your code again? At least your main() method?

Canen McCaslin
Canen McCaslin
552 Points
Canen McCaslin
Canen McCaslin
552 Points 
def main():   
    show_help()

    # make a list to hold onto our items
    shopping_list = []

    while True:
    # ask for new items
        new_item = input("> ")

    # be able to quit the app
    if new_item == 'DONE':
        break
    elif new_item == 'HELP':
        show_help()
        continue
    elif new_item == 'SHOW':
        show_list(shopping_list)
        continue
    add_to_list(shopping_list, new_item)

    show_list(shopping_list)
STEVEN PENA
STEVEN PENA
13,928 Points
STEVEN PENA
STEVEN PENA
13,928 Points

hey Canen McCaslin start the challenge over and write the new function def main(): then indent everything under that 4 times and it will pass