unicode - Python TypeError using the translate() method -

i trying build function in python pulls specific characters out of string, , returns each of remaining words on separate line. apostrophes must removed -- , contraction must split, second half moving new line.

for instance, have sentence fragment:

", doesn't mean him."

and want remove these punctuation characters:

",'."

it should return:

that doesn t mean him 

here function i've written:

def remove_chars(frag, punc):     if "'" in frag:         frag = frag.replace("'", " ")      frag = frag.translate(none, punc)      frag = frag.split(" ")      in frag:         print  remove_chars(", doesn't mean him.", ",'.") 

and here's error i'm receiving:

typeerror: deletions implemented differently unicode

thanks in advance this.

the unicode.translate() method indeed different str.translate() method. takes one argument, dictionary mapping integer codepoint values other values. delete, other value should none.

you can trivially create such dictionary using dict.fromkeys():

mapping = dict.fromkeys(map(ord, punc)) frag = frag.translate(mapping) 

since keys must integers, used ord map each character in string punc corresponding integer codepoint. dict.fromkeys() creates dictionary integer keys , gives each of them default value none.

demo:

>>> punc = ",'." >>> dict.fromkeys(map(ord, punc)) {44: none, 46: none, 39: none} >>> mapping = dict.fromkeys(map(ord, punc)) >>> u", doesn't mean him.".translate(mapping) u' doesnt mean him'