Testing if string contains a substring

[Frantisek Fuka]

Many thanks to everyone. Can I get the "new" string functions 
explanation somewhere? I have Python 2.2.2 but the current documentation 
only seems to mention the old-style STRING module...

Alex Martelli wrote:
> Jeremy Fincher wrote:
> 
> 
>>Alex Martelli <aleax at aleax.it> wrote in message
>>news:<NKxpa.85054$T34.2112670 at news2.tin.it>...
>>
>>>However, such new functionality doesn't get back-ported to previous
>>>releases of Python, such as 2.2.*.  In all Python releases from 1,6
>>>included to 2.3 excluded, "needle.find(haystack) > 0" is the idiom.
>>>Module string is needed if you want to use antediluvian versions of
>>>Python, such as 1.5.2, where strings didn't have methods.
>>
>>Of course, you  meant "haystack.find(needle) >= 0", right?
> 
> 
> Yes, sorry.  See my response to Bengt as to why I was confused
> between needle-on-left and haystack-on-left;-).
> 
> 
> 
>>I always use (and have seen used) "haystack.find(needle) != -1", myself.
> 
> 
> I never saw any added value in that one extra character -- if I did
> want to use -1 I would also use > rather than != ...;-)
> 
> 
> Alex
>