Lab: String Operations

Lab: String Operations#

Note

Source: Parts 1, 3, and 4 adapted from the C# edition (basicstringops/lab-string-ops.rst). Parts 2 (Initials) and 5 (Pig Latin) are original additions.

Goals#

  1. Practice string indexing and slicing.

  2. Use string methods to inspect and transform text.

  3. Apply problem-solving techniques with limited tools.

This lab uses the material from String Indexing and Slicing and String Methods and Length. Parts 3 and 4 also use if/elif/else from the Decisions chapter — if you have not reached that chapter yet, you can skip or come back to those parts.

Structure#

Write a single Python file called string_lab.py. Implement each part as its own function and call all of them from main(). Add one function at a time and test before moving on.

Part 1: String Length#

Write a function show_length() that reads a string from the user and prints its length with a label.

Sample run:

Enter a string: Hello, world!
Length: 13

Part 2: Initials#

Write a function initials() that reads a full name (first and last, separated by a single space) and prints the person’s initials in the form F.L.

Sample run:

Enter your full name: Marcel Proust
Initials: M.P.

Hint: Use split() to separate first and last name, then index each part.

Part 3: Sentence Type#

Write a function sentence_type() that reads a sentence and prints whether it is declarative (ends in .), interrogatory (ends in ?), exclamatory (ends in !), or not a sentence (anything else).

Sample runs:

Enter a sentence: The sky is blue.
Declarative

Enter a sentence: Is it raining?
Interrogatory

Hint: Use endswith().

Part 4: Last, First#

Write a function last_first() that reads a full name (first and last) and prints it in the form Last, First.

Sample run:

Enter your full name: Marcel Proust
Proust, Marcel

Extend the function to handle a single name (no space), printing it unchanged:

Sample run:

Enter your full name: Socrates
Socrates

Hint: Use find() to check whether a space exists.

Part 5: Pig Latin#

Write a function pig_latin(word) that converts a word to simple Pig Latin: move the first character to the end and add "ay".

>>> pig_latin("hello")
'ellohay'
>>> pig_latin("python")
'ythonpay'

Use slicing: the first character is word[0], the rest is word[1:].

Putting It Together#

Your main() function should call each part in order:

def main():
    show_length()
    initials()
    sentence_type()
    last_first()
    word = input("Enter a word for Pig Latin: ")
    print(pig_latin(word))

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()