Fix the Bug -- find() vs index()

Beginner · Fix the bug · from Every Python String Method Explained with Examples

From the lesson: Every Python String Method Explained with Examples

Strings in Python come with a toolbox of built-in methods. These methods let you change case, remove extra spaces, search for words, split text apart, and much more.

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This code tries to find the position of "Python" in a sentence. It works when the word exists, but crashes when it doesn't.

Fix the code so it:

Prints the position when the word is found

Prints "Word not found" when the word is missing

Expected output:

Found at position 7
Word not found

Hint: The bug is that index() crashes when the word is missing. Which method returns -1 instead of crashing?

sentence = "I love Python programming"

# Find "Python" -- this line works fine

pos = sentence.index("Python")

print(f"Found at position {pos}")

# Find "Java" -- this line crashes!

pos = sentence.index("Java")

if pos >= 0:

print(f"Found at position {pos}")

else:

print("Word not found")

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