Testing for a list

[Antun Karlovac]

Thanks Mark!

Python doesn't have a builtin method for doing this then, right? 

-Antun

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark McEahern [mailto:marklists at mceahern.com] 
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 9:43 AM
> To: Antun Karlovac; python-list at python.org
> Subject: RE: Testing for a list
> 
> 
> [Antun Karlovac]
> > Is there a way to test if a variable is a list?
> >
> > i.e.
> >
> >   a = []
> >
> > If I have 'a', I need to know whether it is a list or a string.
> 
> Here's a unittest-demo of the code Alex posted here:
> 
  http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=hi018.2207%24Qu1.90579%40news2.tin.it

#!/usr/bin/env python

import unittest

def issequence(item):
    try:
        item + ''
    except TypeError:
        try:
            for x in item:
                break
        except TypeError:
            return False
        else:
            return True
    else:
        return False

class test(unittest.TestCase):

    def test_unicode(self):
        u = u'test'
        self.failIf(issequence(u))

    def test_string(self):
        s = 'string'
        self.failIf(issequence(s))

    def test_list(self):
        l = []
        self.failUnless(issequence(l))

    def test_tuple(self):
        t = ()
        self.failUnless(issequence(t))

if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()

-