How to calculate the length of the next string that is going to be printed in Python?

Question

I am trying to create a delay based on the length of a string. But the delay has to happen before the string is printed in the console. The goal is to add a bit of realism to an adventure game.

This is the current code I have come up with. I know it isn't right, but this is the first week I've been using Python.

import time

def calculate_text_speed(delay):
        delay = text.len() / 20

def start_game():
    calculate_text_speed(delay)
    
    time.sleep(calculate_text_speed.delay)
    print("Test message.")

Should I create a list with dialogues to calculate the the strings beforehand? This will probably decrease the readability of the code, right?

Answer 1

Perhaps this is what you mean by not declaring text?

def print_with_delay(text):
    time.sleep(len(text) / 20)
    print(text)

print_with_delay("Some very exciting things are happening....")

Original answer: You can create very readable code without generating the text list ahead of time.

The main issue is you are passing the wrong thing to calculate_text_speed. Try this.

import time

text = "Some very exciting things are happening...."

#pass text to the calculate_text_speed function
def calculate_text_speed(text):
    return len(text) / 20

time.sleep(calculate_text_speed(text))
print(text)