python3 string to variable

Question

I am currently trying to implement Conway's Game of Life in a Code, and therefore built a function which generates the coordinates depending of the size of the window.

def coords_maker(num_x, num_y):

    num_x += 1  
    num_y += 1  
    coords = []
    for i in range (0,num_y, 1):    
        for n in range (0,num_x,1):
            coords.append ('x'+str(n)+'y'+str(i))   
    return coords

Yet, I would like to randomly assign values to the resulting strings, to mark them either as alive (1) or dead (0). However they only way to convert a string to a variable name known to me is via a dict and var(), but however, it is essential for the further code that the coordinates stay sorted, as I want to be able to iterate over the ordered items and put the cursor accordingly to the coordinates name. Something like:

print ('\033['+X_COORD+';'+Y_COORD+'f'+ x1y5)

if e.g. x1y5 is the corresponding value (0 or 1) of the variable

Is there a convenient method how to either do this via a dict or how to convert the name of the strings to variable names? Or probably. If I keep one dict and one list and store the coordinate names in the list and the values in the dict?

Thank you in advance! kyril

Why not use a 2 dimensional array or list of lists?

Wooble
– Wooble

2012-06-20 15:26:38 +00:00
Commented Jun 20, 2012 at 15:26 — Wooble
– Wooble, Commented Jun 20, 2012 at 15:26

Lennart Regebro · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-20 15:33:14Z

1

You use a dictionary:

def coords_maker(num_x, num_y):

    num_x += 1  
    num_y += 1  
    coords = {}
    for i in range (0,num_y, 1):    
        for n in range (0,num_x,1):
            coords['x'+str(n)+'y'+str(i)] = 0
    return coords

You then access the value with

 coords[x][y]

And change it like so:

 coords[x][y] = 1

Now, of course this converting of coordinates to strings is completely pointless. Simply use a list of lists:

def coords_maker(num_x, num_y):

    num_x += 1  
    num_y += 1  
    coords = [[0]*num_x for x in range(num_y)]
    return coords

And I don't know why you add 1 to the coordinates either:

def coords_maker(num_x, num_y):
    return [[0]*num_x for x in range(num_y)]

edited Jun 20, 2012 at 15:33

answered Jun 20, 2012 at 15:28

Lennart Regebro

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5 Comments

YumTum Over a year ago

Thanks for your fast reply. But how do i solve the problem that the dict is unsorted?

Lennart Regebro Over a year ago

@kyril: Why would that be a problem? But anyway, I added some less complicated ways of doing this.

YumTum Over a year ago

Thanks, the last part actually does solve the problem. I just did not know how to do it otherwise. I added +1 to the values so that if I want the window with cells 5 chars wide, range would not stop at 4. One last question: what stands the [0]*num_x in the list comprehension for? in particular the [0]. thanks!

Lennart Regebro Over a year ago

@kyril: [0] is a list with a 0 in it. I suggest you go through some Python tutorials to get the basics of the language. It really helps.

Lennart Regebro Over a year ago

@kyril: It's a list. In that context. It doesn't do anything. Multiplying it will create a list with N elements, so [0]*5 creates a list like this: [0, 0, 0, 0, 0]. Python is interactive, open a prompt and type it in and see what happens. Best way.

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