IndexError in numbers_in_list function with Udacity test cases

[doktorwho]

Homework Statement

Define a procedure that does the following:
From the string of numbers from 1 - 9 it creates a list that contains the numbers that are bigger than the preceding number and adds the smaller ones to a sub-list. Example:
string='3057842103'
print(numbers_in_list(string))
>>>[3,[0],5,7,8,[4,2,1,0,3]]
This is a Udacity CS101 problem from the ProblemSet in Lecture 3 named, Numbers in List.

Homework Equations

3. The Attempt at a Solution [/B]

def numbers_in_lists(string):
   list=[int(string[0])]
   list2=[]
   a=int(string[0])
   i=1
   while i<len(string):
     if a<int(string[i]):
       a=int(string[i])
       list.append(int(string[i]))
       list2=[]
       i+=1
     if a>=int(string[i]):
       list2.append(int(string[i]))
       if list2 not in list:
         list.append(list2)
       i+=1
   return list

When i run print(numbers_in_list(3057842103)) i get the correct result but when i copy it and paste it in the udacity python it looks like this:

# Numbers in lists by SeanMc from forums
# define a procedure that takes in a string of numbers from 1-9 and
# outputs a list with the following parameters:
# Every number in the string should be inserted into the list.
# If a number x in the string is less than or equal 
# to the preceding number y, the number x should be inserted 
# into a sublist. Continue adding the following numbers to the 
# sublist until reaching a number z that
# is greater than the number y. 
# Then add this number z to the normal list and continue.

#Hint - "int()" turns a string's element into a number

def numbers_in_lists(string):
   list=[int(string[0])]
   list2=[]
   a=int(string[0])
   i=1
   while i<len(string):
     if a<int(string[i]):
       a=int(string[i])
       list.append(int(string[i]))
       list2=[]
       i+=1
     if a>=int(string[i]):
       list2.append(int(string[i]))
       if list2 not in list:
         list.append(list2)
       i+=1
   return list
           
#testcases
string = '543987'
result = [5,[4,3],9,[8,7]]
print repr(string), numbers_in_lists(string) == result
string= '987654321'
result = [9,[8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1]]
print repr(string), numbers_in_lists(string) == result
string = '455532123266'
result = [4, 5, [5, 5, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 2], 6, [6]]
print repr(string), numbers_in_lists(string) == result
string = '123456789'
result = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
print repr(string), numbers_in_lists(string) == result

Now when i run i get this:

Traceback (most recent call last): File "vm_main.py", line 33, in <module> import main File "/tmp/vmuser_kzfoxtgohv/main.py", line 44, in <module> print repr(string), numbers_in_lists(string) == result File "/tmp/vmuser_kzfoxtgohv/main.py", line 25, in numbers_in_lists if a>=int(string[i]): IndexError: string index out of range
'543987' True '987654321' True '455532123266' True '123456789'

What is going on here, kinda weirded out..

 

[jedishrfu]

Look at your code again especially the line:

in numbers_in_lists if a>=int(string [ i ]): IndexError: string index out of range

and see if the could get out of range somehow.

You could also place print statements in your code to see the variables are set to.

One thing I noticed is that right before this line you have i+=1; and then you have the failure.

the i+=1 could now be equal to the length of the string and hence would index character past it a kind of edge case.

 

[phyzguy]

It seems to me it should always fail. Suppose the string has 5 elements. Then in the while statement, you can have i=4. You do the first if statement, then increment i, so now i=5. Then you ask if a>=int(string):. But string only has 5 elements, so there is no string[5]. How did it ever work?

 

[doktorwho]

Look at your code again especially the line:

in numbers_in_lists if a>=int(string [ i ]): IndexError: string index out of range

and see if the could get out of range somehow.

You could also place print statements in your code to see the variables are set to.

One thing I noticed is that right before this line you have i+=1; and then you have the failure.

the i+=1 could now be equal to the length of the string and hence would index character past it a kind of edge case.

It seems to me it should always fail. Suppose the string has 5 elements. Then in the while statement, you can have i=4. You do the first if statement, then increment i, so now i=5. Then you ask if a>=int(string):. But string only has 5 elements, so there is no string[5]. How did it ever work?

I added a line under i+=1 to check for the length and if it exceeds it breaks. Works now. Thanks for the help :)!