advanced patterns with Built-in Python `sum()` Function on Mixed Data Types
I'm writing unit tests and I'm stuck trying to I've been working on this all day and I'm maintaining legacy code that I'm working with an scenario when using the built-in `sum()` function in Python 3.10... I expect it to handle lists of mixed data types gracefully, but I'm working with a `TypeError`. Here's a simple example of what I'm doing: ```python mixed_list = [1, 2.5, '3', 4] result = sum(mixed_list) ``` When I run this code, I get the following behavior: ``` TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for +: 'float' and 'str' ``` I assumed that `sum()` would treat numbers and strings in a way that would allow for concatenation or some form of conversion. However, it seems that it's trying to add a `float` to a `str`, which is causing the question. I tried to handle this by filtering out the non-numeric types from the list before summing: ```python filtered_list = [x for x in mixed_list if isinstance(x, (int, float))] result = sum(filtered_list) ``` This works, but Iām wondering about best practices when it comes to dealing with mixed data types in Python collections. Is there a more efficient way to handle this situation, especially when working with larger datasets? Additionally, are there any design patterns or libraries that could help manage mixed-type collections in a more graceful way? Thanks for your help! For context: I'm using Python on Ubuntu. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks in advance!