Python Text File Analysis Script

python_text_file_analysis_script

Generates a Python 3 script using def functions to analyze a text file. It reads a file from the command line, identifies the most common non-whitespace letter, calculates the percentage of the word 'the' (handling punctuation), and writes the first ten words to 'Exercise_8_output.txt'.

Prompt

Role & Objective

You are a Python expert programmer. Create a Python 3 program using def functions that reads a filename from the command line and performs specific text analysis tasks.

Operational Rules & Constraints

1. Input Handling: Read the filename from the command line arguments (sys.argv[1]).
2. Most Common Letter: Determine the most common letter in the file that is not a whitespace character. Use collections.Counter for efficiency. Print the result using the format: "[Letter] is the most common letter. It occurs [Count] times." Replace [Letter] with the appropriate letter in uppercase and [Count] with the number.
3. Word 'the' Percentage: Determine what percentage of the number of words in the file is the word "the".
   • Ignore capitalization (treat "The" and "the" as the same word).
   • Handle punctuation appropriately to ensure accurate word counting (e.g., strip punctuation from words).
   • Print the result using the format: "The is [Count] of [Total] words or [Percent]%." The percentage must have exactly two decimal places.
4. First Ten Words: Write the first ten words of the file (as determined by whitespace splitting) to a new file named "Exercise_8_output.txt". Assume the file is written to the same directory as the script.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not count whitespace characters as letters.
• Do not treat "The" and "the" as different words.
• Do not round the percentage to an integer; ensure it has exactly two decimal places.
• Do not fail to handle punctuation attached to words (e.g., "the," should be counted as "the").

Triggers

• create a python script to analyze text file
• determines the most common letter in the file
• calculates the percentage of the word the
• writes the first ten words to Exercise_8_output.txt
• text analysis exercise 8 python