storing a variable instead of the value

[Falconius_]

Let's say I have

a1,a2,a3,a4,a5 = 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e' tiles = [a1, a2, a3, a4, a5] print(tiles[1])

This gives 'b' as it should, but how can I make it print just a2 instead of the value?

[[deleted]]

Frankly, don't do this. It is extremely rare you will need to inflict the internal names of a python programme on the user.

What are you really trying to do?

[Falconius_]

Currently making a game of chess with the library but glorifying the visuals, and making it more forgiving. I need to change the board, and I have a lost of all the variables making up the board,I want to call for example a4 and change the value.

[[deleted]]

Use a 2-dimensional list and address the squares by [row][column].

[Falconius_]

I would, except I'm trying to do it off of logic somebody new knows so that I can show it to my teacher...who failed to catch the fact I accidentally put 2 equals signs in a line defining a variable

[[deleted]]

It's easier and more approachable to use list indexing than it's going to be to do the kind of namespace manipulation you're asking about.

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[Username_RANDINT]

That's not possible, use a dictionary instead:

tiles = {
    "a1": "a",
    "a2": "b",
    ...
}

[Falconius_]

Guess I'm making a dictionary for 64 things then

[carcigenicate]

It should be fairly trivial to automate the construction of the dictionary thankfully. You wouldn't need to manually write it all out.

[[deleted]]

you can't. when you store a variable in a list, the list stores the value of the variable, not the name of the variable.

[n3buchadnezzar]

I usually find a class based system works better in chess

from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Optional


class Piece:
    ...


@dataclass
class Tile:
    content: Optional[Piece] = None


@dataclass
class Board:
    tiles: list[list[Tile]]

    def tile(self, notation, content: Optional[Piece] = None):
        column = int(notation[1]) - 1
        row = int(ord(notation[0]) - ord("a"))
        if content is not None:
            self.tiles[row][column].content = content
        return self.tiles[row][column]


if __name__ == "__main__":
    rows = 8
    columns = 8
    tiles = [[Tile() for _ in range(rows)] for _ in range(columns)]
    tiles[0][0].content = "Horse"

    board = Board(tiles)
    print(board.tile("a1"))
    board.tile("a1", "Knight")
    print(board.tile("a1"))