project_euler/e_22.py

#!/usr/bin/env python 
"""
 ##---
 # Julien Lengrand-Lambert
 #Created on : Mon Jan 16 17:11:30 CET 2012
 #
 # DESCRIPTION : Solves problem 22 of Project Euler
 Using names.txt (right click and 'Save Link/Target As...'), a 46K text file containing over five-thousand first names, begin by sorting it into alphabetical order. Then working out the alphabetical value for each name, multiply this 
 value by its alphabetical position in the list to obtain a name score.
 For example, when the list is sorted into alphabetical order, COLIN, which is worth 3 + 15 + 12 + 9 + 14 = 53, is the 938th name in the list. So, COLIN would obtain a score of 938  53 = 49714.
 What is the total of all the name scores in the file?
 ##---
"""
import string

def names_scores(filename):
    """
    Returns the total of all the name scores in filename
    """
    data = load_data(filename)
    data.sort() # alphabetical
    alpb = dict_alphabet()
    score = 0
    inc = 1
    for name in data:
        score += single_score(alpb, name, inc)
        inc += 1
    
    return score

def single_score(alpb, name, pos):
    """
    Returns a name score given its position, the name and the alphabet
    """
    score = 0
    for j in range(len(name)):
        score += alpb[name[j]]

    return score * pos

def dict_alphabet():
    """
    Returns a dict of the alphabet, with value for each letter.
    """
    alpb= dict()
    letters = string.ascii_uppercase
    inc = 1
    for j in range(len(letters)): 
        alpb[letters[j]] = inc
        inc += 1

    return alpb

def load_data(filename):
    """
    Loads the data from a name file into a table
    """
    file = open(filename, "r")
    line = file.readline()
    data = [el for el in line.split("\"")][1::2]
    file.close()        
    return data

if __name__ == '__main__':
    print "Answer : %d" % (names_scores("e_22.data"))