Returning a string in python and only getting an empty array

Question

I am trying to return an array of a number's divisors. If the number is prime I want to return the string, '(integer) is prime'. Instead of returning this string my function returns an empty array.

Code:

def divisors(num):
    i = 2
    array = []
    while i < num:
        if num % i == 0:
            array.append(i)
        i += 1
    print(array)
    if len(array) > 0:
        return array
    else:
        prime = '%i is prime' %num
        return prime

divisors(3)

Thank you for the help!

no it doesn't? repl.it/repls/BurlywoodJumboRectangle (presumably you are looking at the console output, where you print the empty array, but you're not doing anything wth the result of the function) — njzk2
– njzk2, Commented Apr 18, 2020 at 21:47

Derek O · Accepted Answer · 2020-04-18 21:51:46Z

2

What you are seeing is the empty array that you print when your function executes. Your function is correctly returning the string because 3 is prime, but you just haven't assigned the return value of the function to any variable. This should accomplish what you want.

def divisors(num):
    i = 2
    array = []
    while i < num:
        if num % i == 0:
            array.append(i)
        i += 1
    # print(array)
    if len(array) > 0:
        return array
    else:
        prime = '%i is prime' %num
        return prime

value = divisors(3)
print(value)

Output:

'3 is prime'

answered Apr 18, 2020 at 21:51

Derek O

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Comments

Uriel · Accepted Answer · 2020-04-18 21:48:05Z

0

Your function does returns the string, the empty array you see is a result of the print(array) statement in the middle of your code, which I assume you added for debugging. Consider removing it.

Use print(divisors(3)) to actually show the resulting string (otherwise it wouldn't show, as it does now).

answered Apr 18, 2020 at 21:48

Uriel

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