[Tutor] slicing a string

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>>> Assuming that mytext is "test", I've found that mytext[-1:-4:-1]
>>> doesn't work (as I expected it to) but that mytext[::-1] does.
>>>
>>> While that's fine, I just wondered why mytext[-1:-4:-1] doesn't
>>> work?
>>
>> It does work.
>> But remember that slices give you the first item to one less
>> than the second index, so for a 4 letter word you need an
>> index of of -5...
>>
>>>>> "test"[-1:-4:-1]
>> 'tse'
>>>>> "test"[-1:-5:-1]
>> 'tset'
>>>>>
>
> But remember that you can make it simpler if you simply don't specify
> the start and end points:
>
>>>> 'hello'[::-1]
> 'olleh'
>
> --
> The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge
> faster than society gathers wisdom.
>  -- Isaac Asimov
>

Thanks all :-) That makes sense now

Chris