how to sort a text file alphabetically

Question

name = input("please enter your name\n")
score1=input("please enter your first test score out of 10\n")
score2=input("please enter your second test score out of 10\n")
score3=input("please enter your third test score out of 10\n")
class_=input("please enter the name of your class either class1,class2 or     class3\n")
if class_== ("class1"):
myfile=open("class1.txt","a")
myfile.write(name)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(score1)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(score2)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(score3)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(class_)
myfile.write("\n")
myfile.close()
elif class_== ("class2"):
myfile=open("class2.txt","a")
myfile.write(name)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(score1)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(score2)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(score3)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(class_)
myfile.write("\n")
myfile.close()
elif class_== ("class3"):
myfile=open("class3.txt","a")
myfile.write(name)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(score1)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(score2)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(score3)
myfile.write("-")
myfile.write(class_)
myfile.write("\n")
myfile.close()
else:
print("please eter a valid class name")
sorting = input("please enter the name of the class you wish to see\n")
if sorting ==("class1"):
myfile=open("class1.txt","r")
for line in myfile:
    class_name = myfile.readline()
    class_name.sort()
    print (class_name)
    myfile.close()

when i run the code in python it works until i ask which class i want to see when i select class 1 it always comes up saying line 51, in class_name.sort(reverse=True) AttributeError: 'str' object has no attribute 'sort' i dont know how to fix this.

Do you want to sort the class_name (as @Idos is showing), or do you want to sort all the names (with scores) in the text file? — Nander Speerstra, Feb 04 '16 at 09:03
i want to sort the names alphabetically and print the names along with their scores — anomoyus, Feb 04 '16 at 09:05
what does this mean ----1356aabcdeeegllnrrssy it came up when i ran the code — anomoyus, Feb 04 '16 at 09:08
If you have a line like `line = 'anomoyus 2 7 9'`, `''.join(sorted(line))` will sort the string `line`. Then your get `279amnoosuy`, because it sorts all characters in the string (digits first). You do not want to sort the content of one line, but the content of the complete file. — Nander Speerstra, Feb 04 '16 at 09:10
so what would i need to put to sort the names alphabetically but have them as a full name and not amnoosuy — anomoyus, Feb 04 '16 at 09:12
thanks that's done it its printing in full names alphabetically — anomoyus, Feb 04 '16 at 09:16

Idos · Answer 1 · 2016-02-04T09:05:29.680

0

You cannot use sort() on a string (it takes a list) like that, use:

>>> class_name = 'myclassname'
>>> class_name = ''.join(sorted(class_name))
>>> class_name
'aacelmmnssy'

if you wish to sort all the lines use:

lines = sorted(myfile.readlines())

edited Feb 04 '16 at 09:05

answered Feb 04 '16 at 08:58

Idos

15,053
14
60
75

This is indeed sorting the text in the class_name, but doesn't the OP mean to sort the names (lines) in the class*.txt? – Nander Speerstra Feb 04 '16 at 09:01
1

I am basing my answer on the error he showed (AttributeError: 'str' object has no attribute 'sort' ). If he wants a specific answer he should provide a specific question containing an MCVE :) – Idos Feb 04 '16 at 09:02
when i used that code and ran it it came up with this: – anomoyus Feb 04 '16 at 09:03
----1356aabcdeeegllnrrssy – anomoyus Feb 04 '16 at 09:04

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 04 '16 at 09:07

0

Something like this:

with open(myfile, 'r') as r:
    for line in sorted(r):
        print(line, end='')

answered Feb 04 '16 at 09:07

Sagar Waghmode

767
5
16

how to sort a text file alphabetically

2 Answers2