Force anything to be a string.

[jonathon]

	I'm reworking a script, and keep running into this
	same basic sequence of errors.

	The offending lines are:

   string_check = check_list[50]
   string_check = str(string_check)
   string_check = string.capwords(string_check) 
   check_list[50] = string_check 

	This code snippet is supposed to take the object
	at check_list[50], convert it to a string, and
	then capitalize each word.  
#
	If fed a "normal" string of characters, it works.
	However, if check_list[50] is an integer, I either
	see the following error message:

	File "mass.py", line 20402 in align_everything(record_list)
	string_check = string.capwords(string_check)
	File "/usr/local/bin/python1.5/string.py" line 542 in capwords
	return join(map(capitalize, split(s, sep)), sep or' ')
    TypeError: arguement 1: expected read-only character buffer, int found

	or I see this error message:
	
	File "mass.py" , line 20402 in align_everything(record_list)
	string_check = str(string_check)
    TypeError: call of non-function ( type string )

	The difference is whether I have removed the line
	"string_check = str(string_check)"
#
	Question:

	1:	How can I ensure that string_check becomes a string,
	and not remain an integer?  [  Other than error trapping at
	the source. An option not available, since this script reads
	files with bad data in them, to correct them. ]


	xan
	
	jonathon