Last Updated on September 22, 2023 by Mayank Dham
Strings are the cornerstone of text manipulation and processing in Python. Whether you’re a beginner venturing into the world of programming or an experienced developer aiming to master the intricacies of string handling, a solid understanding of strings is essential. In this article, we embark on a journey to unravel the magic of string program in python, from basic operations to advanced techniques, equipping you with the tools to wield the power of text in your Python programs. A string in Python is denoted by single or double quotations. For example,
# create a string using double quotes
string1 = "Python programming"
# create a string using single quotes
string1 = 'Python programming'
Here, a string variable named string1 has been created. Python Programming is used as the variable’s initial value.
Example of String Program in Python
# create string type variables name = "Python" print(name) message = "I love Python." print(message)
Output
Python
I love Python.
The name and message variables in the example above contain the values "Python" and "I love Python" respectively.
Although we can also use single quotes, we have used double quotes here to represent strings.
Access String Characters in Python
There are three ways we can get to the characters in a string.
Indexing: One way is to treat strings as a list and use index values. For example,
greet = ‘hello’
# access 1st index element
print(greet[1]) # "e"
Negative Indexing: Python’s strings support negative indexing, just like a list. For example,
g = ‘hello’
# access 4th last element
print(g[-4]) # "e"
Slicing: Access a range of characters in a string by using the slicing operator colon :. For example,
g = ‘Hello’
# access character from 1st index to 3rd index
print(g[1:4]) # "ell"
Note: We will get issues if we try to access an index that is outside of the allowed range or if we use non-integer integers.
Python Strings are immutable
In Python, strings are immutable. That means a string’s characters cannot be modified. For example,
message = 'Hola Amigos' message[0] = 'H' print(message)
Output
TypeError: 'str' object does not support item assignment
However, we can assign the variable name to a new string. For example,
message = 'Hola Amigos' # assign new string to message variable message = 'Hello Friends' prints(message); # prints "Hello Friends"
Python Multiline String
A multiline string can also be created in Python. Triple double quotes """ or triple single quotes ”’ are used for this. For example,
# multiline string message = """ Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down """ print(message)
Output
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
In the above example, anything inside the enclosing triple-quotes is one multiline string.
Python String Operations
Strings are one of the most often used data types in Python because they can be used for a wide variety of operations.
Compare Two Strings
For a string comparison, we employ the == operator. The operator returns True when two strings are equal. Otherwise, it returns False. For example,
str1 = "Hello, world!" str2 = "I love Python." str3 = "Hello, world!" # compare str1 and str2 print(str1 == str2) # compare str1 and str3 print(str1 == str3)
Output
False
True
In the above example,
str1 and str2 are not equal. Hence, the result is False.
str1 and str3 are equal. Hence, the result is True.
Join Two or More Strings
Using the + operator in Python, we can combine (concatenate) two or more strings.
greet = "Hello, " name = "Jack" # using + operator result = greet + name print(result)
Output
Hello, Jack
In the example above, the + operator was used to combine the strings greet and name.
Iterate Through a Python String
A for loop can be used to iterate through a string. For example,
greet = 'Hello' # iterating through greet string for letter in greet: print(letter)
greet = 'Hello'
Output
H
e
l
l
o
Python String Length
To determine a string’s length in Python, use the len() function. For example,
greet = 'Hello' # count length of greet string print(len(greet))
Output
5
String Membership Test
Using the keyword in, we may determine whether a substring is present within a string or not.
print('a' in 'program') # True
print('at' not in 'battle') False
Methods of Python String
There are other string methods in Python besides those already given. Here are some of those methods:
Methods | Description |
---|---|
upper() | converts the string to uppercase |
lower() | converts the string to lowercase |
partition() | returns a tuple |
replace() | replaces substring inside |
find() | returns the index of first occurrence of substring |
rstrip() | removes trailing characters |
split() | splits string from left |
startswith() | checks if string starts with the specified string |
isnumeric() | checks numeric characters |
index() | returns index of substring |
Escape Sequences in Python
Some characters in a string can be escaped using the escape sequence.
Let’s say we need to include both single and double quotes in a string,
example = "He said, "What's there?""
print(example) # throws error
The compiler will treat "He said, " which contains single or double quotes, as a string. As a result, the code above will result in an error.
To solve this issue, we use the escape character \ in Python.
# escape double quotes example = "He said, \"What's there?\"" # escape single quotes example = 'He said, "What\'s there?"' print(example)
Output
He said, "What's there?"
The full list of Python-supported escape sequences is provided below.
Escape Sequence | Description |
---|---|
\\ | Backslash |
\’ | Single quote |
\" | Double quote |
\a | ASCII Bell |
\b | ASCII Backspace |
\f | ASCII Formfeed |
\n | ASCII Linefeed |
\r | ASCII Carriage Return |
\t | ASCII Horizontal Tab |
\v | ASCII Vertical Tab |
\ooo | Character with octal value ooo |
\xHH | Character with hexadecimal value HH |
Python String Formatting (f-Strings)
Printing values and variables is really simple when using Python f-Strings. For example,
name = 'Cathy' country = 'UK' print(f'{name} is from {country}')
Output
Cathy is from UK
Here, f'{name} is from {country}’ is an f-string.
This brand-new formatting syntax is flexible and effective. We will now print strings and variables using f-Strings.
Conclusion
So, with the help of this article, you will have a better understanding of string programs in python. Practice more and more for making good grasp on strings in python.
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