Python Project: Simple Contact List Manager

Level: Beginner

Project Overview 💡

In this project, you’ll build a basic contact list manager using Python. The app allows users to enter names and phone numbers and saves the list to a text file. This project helps reinforce concepts like loops, lists, string formatting, and file I/O.

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Challenge Yourself! 🚀

Before checking the solution, try building a script that collects contact information from the user and saves it to a file.

Task:

Write a Python program that:

• Prompts the user to input contact names and phone numbers

• Stores each contact as a name-number pair

• Saves the list to a text file when the user finishes entering contacts

Expected Output: The program prompts the user to enter names and phone numbers through the terminal:

If the user enters “done” the program ends and saves the data in a contacts.txt file which looks like the following:

Give it a shot! Scroll down when you're ready for the step-by-step guide.

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Spoiler Alert!

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Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1️⃣: Create an Empty List

Start by defining an empty list to store the contacts.

contacts = []

Step 2️⃣: Start a Loop for Input

Use a while True loop to continuously prompt the user for contact information.

while True:
    name = input("Enter contact name (or type 'done' to finish): ").strip()
    if name.lower() == 'done':
        break
    phone_number = input(f"Enter phone number for {name}: ").strip()
    contacts.append(f"{name}: {phone_number}")

Step 3️⃣: Save Contacts to a File

Write each contact from the list to a text file.

with open("contacts.txt", "w") as file:
    for contact in contacts:
        file.write(contact + "\n")

Step 4️⃣: Confirm Completion

Print a message to notify the user that contacts have been saved.

print("Contacts saved to 'contacts.txt'.")

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Complete Code 🧨

# Simple Contact List Manager

contacts = []

while True:
    # Prompt for contact name
    name = input("Enter contact name (or type 'done' to finish): ").strip()

    if name.lower() == 'done':
        break

    # Prompt for contact phone number
    phone_number = input(f"Enter phone number for {name}: ").strip()

    # Add the contact to the list
    contacts.append(f"{name}: {phone_number}")

# Write the contacts to a text file
with open("contacts.txt", "w") as file:
    for contact in contacts:
        file.write(contact + "\n")

print("Contacts saved to 'contacts.txt'.")

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Alternative Solution

You can use a dictionary instead of a list for better structure and easier lookups:

contacts = {}

while True:
    name = input("Enter contact name (or type 'done' to finish): ").strip()
    if name.lower() == 'done':
        break
    phone_number = input(f"Enter phone number for {name}: ").strip()
    contacts[name] = phone_number

with open("contacts.txt", "w") as file:
    for name, phone_number in contacts.items():
        file.write(f"{name}: {phone_number}\n")

print("Contacts saved to 'contacts.txt'.")

Comparison

• The original version uses a list of formatted strings, which is simple and effective for small projects.

• The alternative version uses a dictionary, which is more flexible if you plan to add features like searching or deleting contacts.

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