Python return list from function

Question

I have a function that parses a file into a list. I\'m trying to return that list so I can use it in other functions.

def splitNet():
    network = []
    f         


        

Answer 1

The names of variables in a function are not visible outside, so you need to call your function like this:

networks = splitNet()
print(networks)

A couple of other notes:

• You may want to convert your function to an iterator, using yield.
• You don't need to call readlines; the function itself is an iterator.
• Your function may be leaking the file handle. Use the with statement.
• You can use str.split, which is more readable and easier to understand than string.split.
• Your file looks to be a CSV file. Use the csv module.

In summary, this is how your code should look like:

import csv
def splitNet():
    with open("/home/tom/Dropbox/CN/Python/CW2/network.txt") as nf:
        for line in csv.reader(nf, delimiter=','):
            yield map(int, line)
network = list(splitNet())
print (network)