Convert string to Int, Float or String as appropriate

# function to determine if a string can convert to an integer or float
# and return a variable of the appropriate class and value

# Mike Kerry - Jan 2021

def getFloatIntStr(ip):
    # Return a float, int, or string)
    res = ip
    try:
        res = float(ip)
        return int(ip)
    except ValueError:
        return res

mystring = ""
myfloat = 0.0
myint = 0

for a in ["abc", "3.5", "8", "1.3.4", "01-06-1998", "12.5", "123"]:
    b = getFloatIntStr(a)
    if type(b) == str:
        mystring += (b + ",")
    elif type(b) == float:
        myfloat += b
    elif type(b) == int:
        myint += b

# Results:
# mystring: abc,1.3.4,01-06-1998,
# myfloat total: 16.0
# myint total: 131

# Here is the same function with explanations
def getFloatIntStr(ip):

    # Return a float, int, or string)
    # First we set a result variable "res" equal to the input string
    res = ip
    try:
        # Now we try converting the input string to a float.
        # If this fails, the "except" path will be taken and the original string is returned
        res = float(ip)

        # Execution only gets to here if the string was successfully converted to a float
        # This will be true if the string contained EITHER a float, OR an integer
        # res is now a variable of type float, containing the float representation of the input string

        # Now we attempt to convert the original string to an integer.
        # If the conversion to integer fails, then the input must have been a float,
        # and the exception path is taken, which returns the value with type = float
        # If the conversion to integer succceeds, the integer is returned here.
        return int(ip)

    except ValueError:
        # This except clause serves 2 purposes. It catches failed conversion to float, and failed conversion to integer
        # For the first failure, "res" contains the original string. For the 2nd failure, res contains the float value
        return res