Lessons · Python · turning a value into text
Turning a value into text
str(x) gives the text form of any value, so a number can sit inside a sentence.
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What it is for
Every message a program prints or writes to a file is text. The total is a number until you say str(total); then it can join a sentence, a filename, a label.
How to think about it
Ask: do I need this as text now? str() when you are about to print, join or display; keep it a number for as long as you are still doing maths.
Worked example
n = 42A number.
s = str(n)'42': two characters, no maths possible on it now.
print("Order " + s)Order 42. Without str() the + would raise: text plus number is an error.print(len(s))2: the length of the text, not the size of the number.
Your turn
Put the count into a message.
msg = "Items: " + (count)
Solve one with the tests running
The trap
str(3.0) is '3.0', not '3'. The text keeps the float's decimal, so format numbers on purpose when they are for people.
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