Python script for checking the proposed September challenge.

SeptemberChallenge.py

'''
Created on 9 Apr 2015

@author: mti
'''

import datetime
import random
import string

"""
Constants
"""
TEST_CALLSIGN_LENGTH = 6
TARGET_WORDS = ["CAMBRIDGE","LONDON","PRESTATYN","OXFORD","YORK"]  # Ordered!

"""
Global variables
"""
contactList = []

"""
Main classes/functions
"""
class WorkedStation:
    "Date/callsign pair"
    
    def __init__(self, date, call):
        self.date = date
        self.call = call
        
    def __repr__(self):
        return "<WorkedStation date:%s call:%s>" % (self.date, self.call)
    
    def __str__(self):
        return "%s   %s" % (self.date, self.call)


def checkContacts(contactList):
    # sort contact list by date worked
    sortedContactList = sorted(contactList, key=lambda contact : contact.date)
    
    sortedCalls = map(lambda contact : contact.call, sortedContactList)
    workedCharacters = map(lambda call : list(call*2), sortedCalls)
    workedCharacters = [val for sublist in workedCharacters for val in sublist]
    
    maxPosition = 0
    for targetWord in TARGET_WORDS:
        targetChars = list(targetWord)
        for targetChar in targetChars:
            try:
                i =  workedCharacters.index(targetChar)
                maxPosition = i if i>maxPosition else maxPosition
                workedCharacters.remove(targetChar)
            except ValueError:
                print "Challenge failed!"
                exit(1)
        del workedCharacters[0:maxPosition-1]
        maxPosition=0
            
    print "Challenge success!"
    exit(0)

"""
Test data/usage
"""
def generateRandomTestContacts(numTestContacts):
    for i in range(numTestContacts):
        date = datetime.date(2015, 9, random.randint(1,30))
        callsign = ''.join(random.choice(string.ascii_uppercase + string.digits) for _ in range(TEST_CALLSIGN_LENGTH))
        contactList.append(WorkedStation(date,callsign))
    
    
if __name__ == '__main__':
    generateRandomTestContacts(90)
    checkContacts(contactList)