append_range.py prints instead of returning — what does the prompt's return mean here?

[dab00gieman]

python-quest/questions/append_range.md says the function "returns a list of integers from min_value up to but not including max_value". But python-quest/answers/append_range.py does:

def append_range(min_value, max_value):
    empt = []
    i = min_value
    while i < max_value :
        empt.append(i)
        i += 1
    print(empt)

It prints rather than returns (a while loop where range() would do, too). capitalize.py also prints; abort.py returns. Since the piscine prompts consistently say "returns", should the answers standardize on return?

[mgkvibez]

Yes — standardize on return, and keep print for the __main__ block only. append_range currently fails its own prompt.

The prompt says "returns a list", and the answer builds it correctly then throws the list away:

def append_range(min_value, max_value):
    empt = []
    i = min_value
    while i < max_value:
        empt.append(i)
        i += 1
    print(empt)          # returns None

Why this matters beyond style: a function that prints returns None, so nothing can consume it — no assert append_range(2, 6) == [2, 3, 4, 5], no composing it into another function, no grader importing it. --allow-builtin strongly implies a grader imports and calls the function; printing answers score zero against it. Composable code is the whole point of the "returns" contract in these prompts.

Corrected:

def append_range(min_value, max_value):
    result = []
    i = min_value
    while i < max_value:
        result.append(i)
        i += 1
    return result


if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(append_range(2, 6))   # [2, 3, 4, 5]

Two smaller notes: empt is a misleading name (result or numbers says what it is), and the stdlib one-liner is return list(range(min_value, max_value)) — same half-open semantics, and it handles the inverted case (append_range(6, 2) → []) exactly as the loop does. Keeping the loop is fine pedagogically; just note the equivalence.

On capitalize.py printing too: same fix, and abort.py already shows the right pattern (returns sorted(...)[2]). Making all three consistent is a five-minute sweep.