Getting " 'str' object does not support item assignment" Error from Python3

Question

I tried to use a text file as an Input for my Quicksort Function in Python. As it turns out, I get this Error

TypeError: 'str' object does not support item assignment

I know the Error occurs because Strings in Python are immutable, therefore they cannot be changed. However, I am not sure how I can fix my code to make it run.

My Code (in Python 3)

import sys
f = open('C:/Users/.../.../Desktop/Test/test1.txt')
array = str(f.read())

def QuickSort(array, starting= 0, ending=len(array)-1):
   
    if starting < ending:
       
       p = Partition(array, starting, ending)
       
       QuickSort(array, starting, p-1)
       Quicksort(array, p+1, ending)
   
def Partition(array, starting, ending):
       Pivo_Index = starting
       Pivot = array[Pivot_Index]
   
       while starting < ending:
           while starting < len(array) and array[starting] <= Pivot:
               starting += 1
           
           while array[ending] > Pivot:
               ending -= 1
           
           if starting < ending:
               array[starting], array[ending] = array[ending], array[starting]
           
       array[ending], array[Pivot_Index] = array[Pivot_Index], array[ending]
       
       return ending

print(QuickSort(array))

My text file is the following

12.11.1990 a
01.01.1991 aa
02.02.1992 baa
02.02.1992 aaa
15.07.1999 ytyvm

Suggestions of how I can fix my code?

Answer 1

read() returns a string, which is immutable (and thus, can't be sorted, as you've seen). If you want to get a list of lines in the file and sort them, you could use array = f.readlines().