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Python Python Basics (2015) Python Data Types Use .split() and .join()

Sam Blaha
Sam Blaha
15,146 Points
Posted by Sam Blaha
Sam Blaha
15,146 Points

Confusing and too wordy

I'm clearly never creating a variable named "display_menu" here and yet it works? I don't get why we are being told to do that when we don't need to... I don't understand how being overly wordy or adding things to a lesson they don't really go over in the videos before it is helpful. It may seem simple to those who are good at Python but to us who aren't, it is very frustrating.

banana.py 
available = "banana split;hot fudge;cherry;malted;black and white"
sundaes = available.split(";")
menu = "Our available flavors are: {}.".format(", ".join(sundaes))
AJ Salmon
AJ Salmon
5,675 Points
AJ Salmon
AJ Salmon
5,675 Points

You make a good point. From what I can tell, the challenge looks for at least two things: that the variable menu is assigned the string 'Our available flavors are: banana split, hot fudge, cherry, malted, black and white.', and that you use .join() to accomplish that. For example, this code also passes the challenge;

available = "banana split;hot fudge;cherry;malted;black and white"
sundaes = available.split(";")
menu = "Our available flavors are: {}."
display_menu = menu.format(', '.join(sundaes))
menu = display_menu

But this code doesn't, because .join() is not used;

available = "banana split;hot fudge;cherry;malted;black and white"
sundaes = available.split(";")
menu = 'Our available flavors are: banana split, hot fudge, cherry, malted, black and white.'

I believe the question is worded that way to help those who might get stuck trying to produce the desired result on just one line. It is kind if tricky, so props to you, you did it in the most efficient way possible.