Hangman Game - Python Implementation

This repository documents the step-by-step development of the classic Hangman game in Python.
It started as a series of small exercises and gradually evolved into a complete, modular, and interactive game.

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📁 Contents

Development Steps

• step_1_welcome.py – prints the welcome screen and Hangman illustrations
• step_2_input_basics.py – defines constants and gets first user input
• step_3_display_word.py – displays hidden word as underscores
• step_4_input_validation.py – adds error handling for invalid guesses
• step_5_input_function.py – wraps input validation into a reusable function with documentation
• step_6_guess_validation.py – checks guessed letters, updates guessed letters list, prints feedback if invalid
• step_7.1_show_hidden_word.py – displays the current state of the secret word
• step_7.2_show_hidden_word_check_win.py – displays the guessed state of the secret word and checks for a win
• step_8_print_hangman.py – saves ASCII art of hangman as a constant and prints art based on number of tries
• step_9_choose_number.py – implements a function that returns the number of unique words and the word at the given circular index

Final Version

• /final-game/constants.py – stores ASCII art and default word list
• /final-game/mechanics.py – core game logic (input validation, word selection, win/loss checks)
• /final-game/main.py – main entry point that ties everything together

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🎮 How to Run (final game)

Clone the repository and run the final version (from the repository root):

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/hangman-game.git
cd hangman-game/final-game      # or `cd hangman-game\final-game` on Windows
python main.py                  # or `python3 main.py` on macOS / Linux

Notes

• The program will prompt for a words file path and a word index.

• If you created a words.txt in the repository root, and you run main.py from final-game, enter ../words.txt when prompted for the file path.

• If you run main.py from the repository root (cd hangman-game), enter final-game/words.txt (or final-game\words.txt on Windows).

Example words.txt content (space-separated words):

cat dog mom balloon child hangman

Example interaction:

Enter file path: ../words.txt

Enter index: 1

Recommended Python: Python 3.8+. Use python on Windows or python3 on macOS/Linux depending on your environment.

✅ Example Output (final game)

Welcome to Hangman!
Guess the word:
_ _ _ _ _

Enter a letter:

🧩 Skills Demonstrated

• Modular program design

• Error handling and input validation

• File I/O and word selection from text files

• Use of sets, lists, and string operations

• Step-by-step development process leading to a working game