convert a list to a string

[Jeff Epler]

On Thu, Jan 08, 2004 at 10:31:16PM -0500, Bart Nessux wrote:
> How does randint and sample differ? I was under the impression that 
> sample was more random.

sample is useful when you want to choose several items from the
population.  The degenerate case
    random.sample(range(100), 1)
is equivalent to
    [random.choice(range(100))]
is equivalent to
    [random.randrange(100)]

here's where sample is useful:  Pick a TLA, but don't repeat any letters:
    >>> "".join(random.sample(string.uppercase, 3))
    'CLA'
You can't sample more than your whole population:
    >>> "".join(random.sample(string.uppercase, 28))
    ValueError: sample larger than population
And here's another way to take a random permutation of the alphabet:
    >>> "".join(random.sample(string.uppercase, 26))
    'STFVCQHDLOUNERPYIMABGJXKZW'
No letters are repeated, unlike with random.choice:
    >>> "".join([random.choice(string.uppercase) for i in
    >>> range(26)])
    'ZMXYCNLDCQAIYTAVPPTSGABNVU'
(the odds of *not* having a duplicate letter here are quite small,
though I don't know offhand just how small--maybe 26!/(26**25)?)

Jeff