Arithmetic Formatter Help - Returning List Horizontally

Python
1

Tell us what’s happening:
I’m having trouble getting the formatted arithmetic problems to print horizontally instead of vertically. I have tried several different things (including print(variable, end=’ ')) to get the problems to print horizontally, but nothing seems to be working.

Any idea or suggestion as to how I can edit the below code to make the problems print horizontally?
I currently have it set to print neatly vertically, but know the new lines will need to be removed.

Your code so far

def arithmetic_arranger(problems, show_solution=False):
“”"
Will take a list of arithmetic problems and arrange
them as they would appear on a grade school assignment
sheet. The solution will also appear if show_solution is set to True.

Only addition and subtraction are valid operators, no number can be greater than 4 digits long, and there can be no more than 5 arithmetic problems entered.

Example: '32 + 8'

Output:   32
        +  8
        ----
"""
# Can't have more than 5 problems input
if len(problems) > 5:
  return "Error: Too many problems."

# Create lists to store all of our values
top_nums, bottom_nums, operators = [], [], []
results, dashes, arranged, arranged_solution = [], [], [], []

# Loop through the input problems and sort each piece of information into the proper empty list created above.
for problem in problems:
  entry = problem.split() # This should create a list of [num1, operator, num2]
  
  # Check both entry[0] and entry[2] are numeric and store there values if so.
  if entry[0].isnumeric() and entry[2].isnumeric():
    top_nums.append(entry[0])
    bottom_nums.append(entry[2])
  else:
    return "Error: Numbers must only contain digits."

  # Check the operator is valid.
  if entry[1] in ['+', '-']:
    operators.append(entry[1])
  else:
    return "Error: Operator must be '+' or '-'."
  
  # Calculate the result of the arithmetic problem.
  if entry[1] == '+':
    results.append(int(entry[0]) + int(entry[2]))
  elif entry[1] == '-':
    results.append(int(entry[0]) - int(entry[2]))

  # Check if either number is > 4 digits and get the number of dashes.
  if len(entry[0]) > 4 or len(entry[2]) > 4:
    return "Error: Numbers cannot be more than four digits."
  elif len(entry[0]) >= len(entry[2]):
    dashes.append('-' * (len(entry[0]) + 2))
  else: 
    dashes.append('-' * (len(entry[2]) + 2))

# Create the template to format of the arithmetic problems appropriately.
for i in range(len(problems)):
  space = ' ' * ((len(dashes[i]) - 1 ) - len(bottom_nums[i]))

  formatted_solution = f"{top_nums[i].rjust(len(dashes[i]))}\n{operators[i]}{space}{bottom_nums[i].rjust(len(bottom_nums[i]))}\n{dashes[i]}\n{str(results[i]).rjust(len(dashes[i]))}"
  formatted = f"{top_nums[i].rjust(len(dashes[i]))}\n{operators[i]}{space}{bottom_nums[i].rjust(len(bottom_nums[i]))}\n{dashes[i]}"

  arranged.append(formatted)
  arranged_solution.append(formatted_solution)

# Display the correct arithmetic format based on if show_solution is displayed as True or not.
if show_solution: 
  return '\n'.join(arranged_solution)
else:
  return '\n'.join(arranged)

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Challenge: Arithmetic Formatter

Link to the challenge:

2

don’t use print at all, build a string, with \n when you need a line break, then return

3

Consider that each problem is formatted on it own, so when they are joined they will look something like:

problem 1 line 1
problem 1 line 2
problem 1 line 3
problem 2 line 1
problem 2 line 2
problem 2 line 3 
(...)

As each problem on it own has multiple lines just trying to join them without some further operations will always put one after another.

Try to figure out how from the current state of having three separate lines for each problem it can end up with three separate lines, but containing corresponding line from all problems.

4

Thanks for the suggestion sanity. I was able to change my code implementing what you stated above and it worked correctly and passed all of the unit tests.

5

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