pyNameSelection

# An exercise from the Python For Beginners Facebook group
# Read a file of names. Allow the user to choose a name out of a selection of 5 of not previously selected names.
# Write out the file again, with selected names preceded with '##'
from random import *
fin = open("teststuff.txt")
thelist = fin.readlines()           # Read all the lines from the file into a list

# split the whole list into two list, already checked (checked), and not yet checked (avail)
# (this could be done more succinctly using List Comprehension, but we'll do it 'long-hand' for now)
avail = []
checked = []
for name in thelist:
    if name.startswith("#"):
        checked.append(name)
    else:
        avail.append(name)

select = sample(avail, 5)           # Make a selection of 5 names from the available list

for x, name in enumerate(select):           # Print the selected names
    print(x + 1, ":  ", name.strip())       # x is 0 to 4, number to print is 1 to 5

while True:
    sel = input("pick a number to check off, or 0 to finish: ")
    if not sel in ['0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5']:
        print("Invalid selection. Try again\n")
        continue
    if sel == "0":          # User wishes to terminate the script
        break
    x = int(sel)
    name = select[x-1]      # the index into the list is 1 less than the number associated with a name
    print(name.strip(), "has been checked")     # print name without \n
    checked.append("##" + name)                 # put this name on the checked list, start with ##
    avail.remove(name)                          # remove this name from the available list

fin.close()

fout = open("teststuff.txt", "w")               # Re-open the file, this time as output
for name in checked:                            # First write out all the checked names
    fout.write(name)
for name in avail:                              # Then write out all the still available names
    fout.write(name)

fout.close()            # seems this is needed, ... for "Idle" at least