As a revision of my initial question, when we look at next_block(),
it's documented as follows:
############################################
def next_block(the_file):
"""Return the next block of data from the trivia file."""
....
############################################
What if there are no more blocks in the file? What should happen then?
Let's say that we do a test, where we pass in the empty file to next_block().
######################
from io import StringIO
x = next_block(StringIO(''))
######################
What do you want to happen in this situation?
---
As a side note: if you have control over the data format, you might
want to consider using JSON rather than a line-based format. If you
use JSON, this takes care of a few issues that you are working around
now.
For example, you can reuse the newline escapes rather than define your
own convention. Also, rather than read a stream of records, where you
have to deal with the end of the file, you might just read one JSON
object that represents your whole trivia file, which will simplify
your program's logic.
See: https://docs.python.org/2/library/json.html and use your favorite
web search engine for 'json python tutorial', and you should be able
to find some useful information. If you have questions, please feel
free to ask.
_______________________________________________
Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org
To unsubscribe or change subscription options:
https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
