The most common answer is:
I stole this code from someone much smarter than me
and it works. . . mostly
def ask_user(message, type_=str, valid=lambda: True, invalid=”Invalid”):
while True:
try:
user_input = type_(input(message))
except ValueError:
print(invalid)
continue
if not valid(user_input):
print(invalid)
continue
return user_input
def play_word_ladder():
word = list(input(“Enter a word: “))
def valid_index(i):
return i in range(-1, len(word))
def valid_character(c):
while True:
index = ask_user(“Enter an index (-1 to quit): “, int, valid_index, “Invalid index”)
if index == -1:
return
char = ask_user(“Enter a letter: “, str, valid_character, “Character must be a lowercase letter!”)
word[index] = char
print(“”.join(word))
if name == “main“:
play_word_ladder()
The Word Ladder game concept is creative and fun! However, there are a few issues in the code snippet you provided, including some syntax errors and logical mistakes.
The core idea of modifying a word by replacing its characters at given indices is intact, but let’s refine the implementation for clarity and correctness:
- Python’s entry point should be
if __name__ == "__main__":
. - The
valid_character
function needs a different approach because its current implementation does not match its intended use. - The
ask_user
function seems correctly set up for general input handling but has a minor typo in thevalid
parameter’s default value.
Here’s a corrected and simplified version of the Word Ladder game:
def ask_user(message, type_=str, valid=lambda x: True, invalid="Invalid"):
while True:
try:
user_input = type_(input(message))
if valid(user_input):
return user_input
else:
print(invalid)
except ValueError:
print(invalid)
def play_word_ladder():
word = list(input("Enter a word: "))
def valid_index(i):
return i in range(len(word))
while True:
index = ask_user("Enter an index (-1 to quit): ", int, valid_index, "Invalid index")
if index == -1:
break
def valid_character(c):
return c.isalpha() and len(c) == 1 # Ensure it's a single alphabetical character
char = ask_user("Enter a letter: ", str, valid_character, "Character must be a lowercase letter!")
word[index] = char
print("".join(word))
if __name__ == "__main__":
play_word_ladder()
Key Points:
- Adjusted the default
valid
lambda function inask_user
to accept an input parameter. - Removed the recursive call to
valid_character
inside itself and instead used it directly inask_user
when asking for a letter. - Corrected the Python entry point check to
if __name__ == "__main__":
for executingplay_word_ladder
. - Included basic validation for characters to ensure they are single alphabetical characters.
This version should offer a more stable and understandable implementation of your Word Ladder game idea, where a player can iteratively change characters in a word based on index positions.
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