Python for loop multi-dimensional array indexing issue

Question

I have the first two strings in a string list strs that is guaranteed to have length of at least 2. I want to compare their letters against each other, and perform a task when their letters are identical. Here is the code I am using:

        iter_len = len(strs[1])
        if (len(strs[0]) >= len(strs[1])):
            iter_len = len(strs[0])
        
        for i in range (0, iter_len, 1):
            if (strs[0][i] == strs[1][i]):
                [do a thing]

However, when I run this, I get a IndexError: string index out of range for the if (strs[0][i] == strs[1][i]): line. I don't quite understand why this is happening, as the first if statement should ensure that iter_len is the minimum length between strs[0] and strs[1], and should prevent the index from going over. Any advice is much appreciated.

RoadieRich · Accepted Answer · 2022-04-29 18:38:21Z

1

If you need to iterate through two sequences in lockstep, it's generally best practice to use zip:

for a,b in zip(strs[0], strs[1]):
    if a == b:
        #[do a thing]

This will deal with the issue of one sequence being longer than the other.

If you need the index, you can use enumerate with your zip:

for i, (a, b) in enumerate(zip(strs[0], strs[1])):
    if a == b:
        #[do a thing with i]

edited Apr 29, 2022 at 18:38

answered Apr 29, 2022 at 18:33

RoadieRich

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