Checks if a string is an int, float, or string in a way that's dependable & readable.

int_float_or_string_checker.py

def int_float_or_string(string):
    try:
        int(string)  # strict and nice
        return int
    except ValueError:
        # float() is too permissive, this is better
        return float if is_strictly_float(string) else str

def is_strictly_float(string):
    if string.startswith("-"):
        string = string[1:]
    return "." in string and string.replace(".", "", 1).isdecimal()