"list index out of range" error

[sam]

gabriel,

> Now that your main problem is gone, just a few comments:
> - python lists know their length, so you don't need explicit no_lines
> and no_lines_2
> - list_initial.remove(temp_str) is fairly slow - it has to *scan* the
> list to locate temp_str. Just keep its index instead, and use del
> list_initial[index]

i will try rewriting it in that manner and comparing the times. i have
no feel so far for the relative speeds of different ways of doing
things, but i can see the importance of it.

> - as a general sorting routine, that 'zzz....' does not look very
> good, try to avoid it.

yes, it's hideous even to a novice. however, i need to go to bed now,
and if i hadn't got this to work before bed, i'd never get to sleep!
i'll have to mull it over and come up with something more elegant.


ben,

i used to work for a company where we exchanged a lot of e-mails, and
the titles were always 're: your e-mail', or 'project stuff', or 'file
for client' or suchlike. made it kind of difficult to find anything.
figured a similar principle might apply here... ; )

thanks again all,

sam