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: 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:2**1': 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:2**0': 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: 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> 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 To: comp.lang.python@googlegroups.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Cc: Python 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 List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Message-ID: 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 FWIW, I ended up with: n =3D len(names) if n =3D=3D 0: return '' if n =3D=3D 1: return names[0] pre =3D ', '.join(names[:-1]) post =3D names[-1] return '%s, and %s' (pre, post) the slice-and-join() takes care of both the 2 and >2 element cases at the s= ame 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 rem= ember where I saw it. I'm guessing in some web framework.