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Answer 1

+2 A:

While you check to see if height is greater than or less than 1.5 or 1.8, you have nothing in place if it is equal to one of those values. Change the comparisons around those points to either >= and <, or to > and <=.

Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams 2010-04-03 02:30:52

thanks - didn't see that

Jasper 2010-04-03 02:31:16

Answer 2

+3 A:

You define height_string inside if/else statements:

if float(height) > 1.8:
    height_string = 'tall'
    if float(height) > 2:
        height_string = 'very tall'
elif float(height) < 1.8 and float(height) > 1.5:
    height_string = 'average'
elif float(height) < 1.5:
    height_string = 'short'
    if float(height) < 1.3:
        height_string = 'very short'

However, if height == 1.8 or height == 1.5, all if/elif statements are false, and therefore height_string is never defined. Simply change the second statement to have <= and >= signs instead:

elif float(height) <= 1.8 and float(height) >= 1.5:

In response to your edit:

You call the function with

myOutput = descriptionGenerator(["char"])

Notice that you're passing a list of length one. Therefore, your function sees descriptionVariableSize == 1 and creates the random description.

So far, so good.

But wait! At the end of that if statement, you have an elif:

elif descriptionVariableSize == 8:

Now you do have descriptionVariableSize == 8. However, you used elif - so you just spent all that time creating a random set of descriptions, but you never get to use it, because the first statement was true and this statement is only executed if the first statement was false.

The solution - just change that elif to if. Now, whether you pass in a complete statement or generate one in the function, you'll still reach the second section.

Edit the ... fifth ?

I didn't notice that you call the function again at the end of the random section. Note that you don't return that call - so anything returned is lost to the void. Simply change it to

 return descriptionGenerator(randomDescriptionVariables)

As an added note - your function is getting a bit unwieldy. The problem is that you're doing two completely different things in the function - one is generating a random list of qualities, and another is generating a description from those quallities. It may be better to move the stuff in the first if block into its own function, generateRandomDescription(), or something, that only gets called in that first if block.

Daniel G 2010-04-03 02:33:48

but since the second time through, it has been called separately in the random section --> 'descriptionGenerator(randomDescriptionVariables)', doesn't it not matter

Jasper 2010-04-03 03:05:34

thanks, will split the function

Jasper 2010-04-03 03:06:12

You are correct - I missed that. In that case, though, you aren't `return` ing that value - meaning that whatever you do in that second function is lost. I'll update the answer.

Daniel G 2010-04-03 03:07:11

thanks again:)

Jasper 2010-04-03 03:10:22

+1 to add emphasis to the added note about 'unwieldy'. Code that is hard to read is also hard to get right.

msw 2010-04-03 05:21:14

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Error in python - don't understand

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