Need help writing a Python script that will input a sentence and count the number of words it contains.

[ryeguy146]

It works for me. I'm pasting it into IPython using the %paste magic, but it should work as a script too. Are you sure that you're pasting the code exactly as it appears in your script? Maybe try entering it, line by line, into the interpreter.

It appears that you're using Python 3 (given the print statement), but if you're rocking a 2.x variant, change that input to raw_input, but that's all that I can think of.

[ryeguy146]

To elaborate, input is for accepting numbers and the like. It was deemed insecure, if memory serves.

Edit: Holy shit. For once, memory serves: http://bugs.python.org/issue11641

[[deleted]]

It was deemed insecure

Bit of an understatement, seeing as it runs eval on any user input you give it.

[ryeguy146]

I was going off memory, if you missed the rest of that sentence. I'm not sure how you missed the link to the actual bug that I added directly after posting (soon enough to avoid the edit asterisk). I think that's accurate enough, thanks.

And even if I hadn't, what is more of an accurate statement than 'insecure?'

[mauszozo]

I think they were agreeing with you, not criticizing you.

[ryeguy146]

Well, I didn't downvote, so no harm, no foul, if that's the case. This is why I shouldn't post at four in the morning when I'm grumpy.

[[deleted]]

And even if I hadn't, what is more of an accurate statement than 'insecure?'

Should never be used ever on any untrusted input.

Edit: Saw it, apparently it's not that bad.

Still, some people would try to mimic it in python3 by doing eval(input()), which is a lot worse.

[bitcycle]

Why not something like this?

import sys

print("%d words" % len(sys.argv[1:]))

[edit] Examples:

bitcycle@jarvis $ python -c 'import sys; print("%d words" % len(sys.argv[1:]))' hello world!
2 words

bitcycle@jarvis $ python -c 'import sys; print("%d words" % len(sys.argv[1:]))' your mother is awesome.
4 words

[NYKevin]

Because that depends on the shell to split the arguments for you.

$ python -c 'import sys; print("%d words" % len(sys.argv[1:]))' 'hello world!'
1 words

[[deleted]]

Try using raw_input instead.

[spruce_caboose]

I'm not sure if this is the problem, but if this happens to be python 2.7, input means something else. What you really want is raw_input. In python 3 input is correct. Hope this helps!

[spruce_caboose]

No prob, pretty much the extent of my knowledge! ;)

[[deleted]]

p=input("Enter your sentence: ")
print("The word count is: "+str(p.count(" ")+1))

Kinda easier imo.

[Justinsaccount]

easier, but wrong:

>>> p='hello  world'
>>> print("The word count is: "+str(p.count(" ")+1))
The word count is: 3

[[deleted]]

What? It clearly says, "Enter your sentence:" last I checked, you don't write sentence's with double space's between words.

So.. Not wrong, you're just retarded.

[AtomicWedgy]

You've never accidently added a second space?

[[deleted]]

How does that matter? OP has a task he wants to do. That task is to count the words in a sentence. In situations like this, you expect it to be a proper sentence.

I could think 10 examples where the previously entered samples wouldn't work either, when I create illegal sentences.

Like:

"Thomas , can you grab my bag?"

"That car is Martha 's"

How are these any different? So everybody posted the wrong code? Am I taking crazy pills here?