converting python list of strings to their type

Question

given a list of python strings, how can I automatically convert them to their correct type? Meaning, if I have:

[\"hello\", \"3\", \"3.64\", \"-1\"]
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Answer 1

def tryEval(s):
  try:
    return eval(s, {}, {})
  except:
    return s

map(tryEval, ["hello", "3", "3.64", "-1"])

Only do this if you trust the input. Also, be aware that it supports more than just literals; arithmetic expressions will be evaluated as well.