Python 'set' object does not support indexing

Question

I am working on a Windows 7 os in a Python (3.2.2) shell. Trying to learn the language I entered and had returned the following:

>>> cast = {
    'cleese',
    'Palin',
    'Jones',
    'Idle'
    }
>>> print (cast[1])
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<pyshell#12>", line 1, in <module>
    print (cast[1])
TypeError: 'set' object does not support indexing
>>> cast.append('Gilliam')
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<pyshell#13>", line 1, in <module>
    cast.append('Gilliam')
AttributeError: 'set' object has no attribute 'append'

==========================

It seems as if the problem is not in the coding, but with how the program was installed.

I have installed, un-installed and installed again, but the resutl is the same. I there something I need to do before Python's shell is ready to be used?

hans

Answer 1

Python seems to work fine. The point is that set doesn't support indexing or appending. Try using a list instead ([] instead of {}). In place of appending, set has add, but indexing is out.

And Python has useful help,

>>> help(set)

prints a lot of info about sets.

Answer 2

It seems that you were trying to define a list. However, you used braces {} instead of brackets []. The interpreter treated it as a dictionary rather than a list, so indexing and append() didn't work here.