Python Learning: Automate Boring Stuff with Python | Solution to Part II Chapter 7 Practice Project II

import re

#first argument - string to be stripped
#second argument - char or default " "
def customStrip(string: str, stripChar: str="\s")->str:
	'''
	Removes specified character from the beginning and end of a given string
	arguments:
	string: str
	stripChar: str
	returns:
	string
	'''
	if stripChar == "" or stripChar == " ":
		stripChar = "\s"
		patternString = r"({}+)".format(stripChar)
		actions = ("^" + patternString,patternString + "$")
		for p in actions:
			pattern = re.compile(p)
			string = pattern.sub("",string)
	return string

texts = [" aa dfgfhjgs, afktgrg aaa ","aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaajfdgf fdfgjkerturt aaaaa"]

for text in texts:
	st = customStrip(text, "a")
	print("The text \n{}\n has {}characters.\nAfter strip \n{} \n====\n it now has {}".format(text,len(text),st,len(st)))
	print("-------------------------------------------")