Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"?

Path	csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!usenet.pasdenom.info!aioe.org!news.stack.nl!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed5.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail
Return-Path	<roy@panix.com>
X-Original-To	python-list@python.org
Delivered-To	python-list@mail.python.org
X-Spam-Status	OK 0.080
X-Spam-Evidence	'H': 0.84; 'S': 0.00; 'framework.': 0.07; 'reply- to:addr:comp.lang.python': 0.09; 'to:addr:comp.lang.python': 0.09; 'essentially': 0.10; 'elements,': 0.16; 'guessing': 0.16; 'cc:addr :python-list': 0.16; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.22; "i'm": 0.26; "skip:' 10": 0.29; 'cc:addr:python.org': 0.29; "i've": 0.31; 'cases': 0.32; "can't": 0.32; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.33; 'this.': 0.33; 'there': 0.33; 'it.': 0.34; 'something': 0.35; 'subject:How': 0.35; 'post': 0.36; 'cc:21': 0.36; 'element': 0.37; 'two': 0.37; 'received:google.com': 0.37; 'some': 0.38; 'received:209.85': 0.38; 'received:209': 0.40; 'took': 0.63; 'saw': 0.67; 'care': 0.71; 'header:Reply-To:1': 0.71; 'reply-to:no real name:20': 0.72; 'reply-to:addr:googlegroups.com': 0.74; 'post)': 0.84
Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Date	Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:01:14 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To	<mailman.3690.1323975113.27778.python-list@python.org>
Complaints-To	groups-abuse@google.com
Injection-Info	glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com; posting-host=66.114.87.114; posting-account=dAOV_goAAABEUkqpkMcBZ68KkIzfCnsO
References	<9393353.282.1323967703697.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@vbyc2> <4EEA35F8.4090502@tim.thechases.com> <4EEA3A47.5020106@stoneleaf.us> <mailman.3690.1323975113.27778.python-list@python.org>
User-Agent	G2/1.0
X-Google-Web-Client	true
MIME-Version	1.0
Subject	Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"?
From	Roy Smith <roy@panix.com>
To	comp.lang.python@googlegroups.com
Content-Type	text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding	quoted-printable
Cc	Python <python-list@python.org>
X-BeenThere	python-list@python.org
X-Mailman-Version	2.1.12
Precedence	list
Reply-To	comp.lang.python@googlegroups.com
List-Id	General discussion list for the Python programming language <python-list.python.org>
List-Unsubscribe	<http://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive	<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list>
List-Post	<mailto:python-list@python.org>
List-Help	<mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe	<http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=subscribe>
Message-ID	<mailman.3691.1323975683.27778.python-list@python.org> (permalink)
Lines	18
NNTP-Posting-Host	2001:888:2000:d::a6
X-Trace	1323975683 news.xs4all.nl 6903 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:52108
X-Complaints-To	abuse@xs4all.nl
Xref	x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.python:17306

Show key headers only | View raw

FWIW, I ended up with:

        n = len(names)
        if n == 0:
            return ''
        if n == 1:
            return names[0]
        pre = ', '.join(names[:-1])
        post = names[-1]
        return '%s, and %s' (pre, post)

the slice-and-join() takes care of both the 2 and >2 element cases at the same time :)

It would be nice if there were some standard way to do this.  I'm sure I've seen something that was essentially a join() that took two delimiters; one for most elements, the other a special-case for the last one.  I can't remember where I saw it.  I'm guessing in some web framework.

Thread

How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-12-15 08:48 -0800
  Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2011-12-15 17:27 +0000
  Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2011-12-15 12:01 -0600
  Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2011-12-15 10:19 -0800
  Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2011-12-15 12:51 -0600
    Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-12-15 11:01 -0800
    Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-12-15 11:01 -0800
  Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2011-12-15 19:27 +0000
  Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-12-15 14:22 -0700
  Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-12-15 19:57 -0500
  Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-12-16 13:42 +1100
  Re: How to generate "a, b, c, and d"? Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-12-16 00:26 -0500

csiph-web