Working with strings

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

George Boorman
Curriculum Manager, DataCamp
 Strings are everywhere!

User profiles

Search engines

Large language models

1 https://unsplash.com/@steve_j

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Python knows single and double quotes
# This works
my_text = 'Hello, my name is George.'

# This also works

my_text = "Hello, my name is George."

' = apostrophe = single quote

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Advantages of double quotes
# Single quote string variable containing an apostrophe
my_text = 'Hello, my name's George.'

SyntaxError: invalid syntax.

# Double quote string variable containing an apostrophe

my_text = "Hello, my name's George."
print(my_text)

Hello, my name's George.

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Methods
Method = a function that is only available to a specific data type

str methods

# Calling a string method

str_variable.method()

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Replacing parts of strings
.replace(text_to_be_replaced, text_to_change_it_to)

my_text = "Hello, my name's George."

# Replace George with John

my_text = my_text.replace("George", "John")
print(my_text)

Hello, my name's John.

Common use cases

Reformatting e.g., change spaces to underscores
Fixing or removing typos

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Changing case
current_top_album = "For All The Dogs"

# Convert to lowercase
current_top_album = current_top_album.lower()
print(current_top_album)

for all the dogs

# Change to upppercase
current_top_album = current_top_album.upper()
print(current_top_album)

FOR ALL THE DOGS

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Sentences and paragraphs
nineteen_eightyfour = "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Multi-line strings
# Create a string variable over multiple lines
harry_potter = """Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,
of number four Privet Drive,
were proud to say that they were perfectly normal,
thank you very much.
"""

"""text""" : Multi-line strings

Enhance readability

Avoid the need to use special characters

Longer text such as customer reviews
Used to describe what functions do

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

 String cheat sheet
Syntax Purpose Example
Single quotes
''
String variable my_string = 'My string'

Double quotes
String variable my_string = "My string"
""

Triple quotes Multi-line string my_string = """My string"""

"""""" variable

Replacing parts my_string = my_string.replace("text_to_remove",

str.replace()
of strings "text_to_change_to")

str.lower() Lowercase string my_string = my_string.lower()

str.upper() Uppercase string my_string = my_string.upper()

1 https://docs.python.org/3/library/stdtypes.html#string-methods

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

 Let's practice!
INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS
 Lists
INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

George Boorman
Curriculum Manager, DataCamp
Problem
# Variables of product prices
price_one = 10
price_two = 20
price_three = 30
price_four = 15
price_five = 25
price_six = 35

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Lists to the rescue!
List = store multiple values in a single variable
Can contain any combination of data types e.g., str , float , int , bool

# List of prices
prices = [10, 20, 30, 15, 25, 35]

# List of prices using variables as values

prices = [price_one, price_two, price_three,
price_four, price_five, price_six]

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Checking the data type
# Check the data type of a list
type(prices)

<class 'list'>

# Check the data type of a string

type("Hello")

<class 'str'>

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Accessing elements of a list
# Print all values in the list variable
print(prices)

[10, 20, 30, 15, 25, 35]

Lists are ordered

Can use subsetting or indexing

Python counts values starting from zero for the first element

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Accessing elements of a list
List = [] prices = [10, 20, 30, 15, 25, 35]
Subsetting = a_list[index]
# Get the value at the first index
prices[0]

10

# Get the value at the fourth index

prices[3]

15

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Finding the last element in a list
prices = [10, 20, 30, 15, 25, 35]

# Get the last element of a list

prices[5]

35

# Get the last element of a list

prices[-1]

35

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Accessing multiple elements
prices = [10, 20, 30, 15, 25, 35]

# Access the second and third elements

prices[1:3]

[20, 30]

[starting_element:last_element + 1]

Add one to the last element's index because:

Python returns everything up to but not including that index

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Accessing multiple elements
# Access all elements from the fourth index onwards
prices[3:]

[15, 25, 35]

# Get the first three elements

prices[:3]

[10, 20, 30]

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Alternating access
# Access every other element
prices[::2]

[10, 30, 25]

# Access every third element, starting at the second

prices[1::3]

[20, 25]

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Lists cheat sheet
Syntax Functionality
a_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Create a list variable

a_list[0] Get the first element at index zero

a_list[-1] Get the last element

a_list[0:3] Get the first, second, and third elements

a_list[:3] Get the first, second, and third elements

a_list[2:] Get all elements from the third index onwards

a_list[::2] Get every other element from the first index onwards

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

 Let's practice!
INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS
 Dictionaries
INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

George Boorman
Curriculum Manager, DataCamp
Products list
prices = [10, 20, 30, 15, 25, 35]

# Product IDs
product_ids = ["AG32", "HT91", "PL65", "OS31", "KB07", "TR48"]

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

 Dictionary
Dictionary = key-value pairs

1 https://unsplash.com/@sandym10

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

 Why use dictionaries?
user_id

order_number

date

value

payment_method

ip_address

location

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INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a dictionary
# Creating a dictionary
products_dict =

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a dictionary
# Creating a dictionary
products_dict = {

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a dictionary
# Creating a dictionary
products_dict = {"AG32"

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a dictionary
# Creating a dictionary
products_dict = {"AG32":

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a dictionary
# Creating a dictionary
products_dict = {"AG32": 10

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a dictionary
# Creating a dictionary
products_dict = {"AG32": 10,

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a dictionary
# Creating a dictionary
products_dict = {"AG32": 10, "HT91": 20,

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a dictionary
# Creating a dictionary
products_dict = {"AG32": 10, "HT91": 20,
"PL65": 30, "OS31": 15,
"KB07": 25, "TR48": 35

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a dictionary
# Creating a dictionary
products_dict = {"AG32": 10, "HT91": 20,
"PL65": 30, "OS31": 15,
"KB07": 25, "TR48": 35}

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Accessing a value based on the key
Dictionaries are ordered
Allows values to be accessed by subsetting on the key

What is the price of product ID "AG32" ?

# Find the product's price

products_dict["AG32"]

10

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Accessing all values
# Get all values from a dictionary
products_dict.values()

dict_values([10, 20, 30, 15, 25, 35])

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Accessing all keys
# Retrieve all keys in a dictionary
products_dict.keys()

dict_keys(['AG32', 'HT91', 'PL65', 'OS31', 'KB07', 'TR48'])

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Viewing an entire dictionary
# Print the dictionary
print(products_dict)

{'AG32': 10, 'HT91': 20, 'PL65': 30, 'OS31': 15, 'KB07': 25, 'TR48': 35}

# Get all items (key-value pairs)

products_dict.items()

dict_items([('AG32', 10), ('HT91', 20), ('PL65', 30), ('OS31', 15), ('KB07', 25),
('TR48', 35)])

.items() is useful when iterating or looping

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Adding a key-value pair
# Add a new key-value pair
products_dict["UI56"] = 40

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Updating a value
# Updating a value associated with an existing key
products_dict["HT91"] = 12

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Duplicate keys
# Creating a dictionary with a duplicate key
products_dict = {"AG32": 10, "AG32": 20,
"PL65": 30, "OS31": 15,
"KB07": 25, "TR48": 35}

# Print the duplicate key's value

print(products_dict["AG32"])

20

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

 Let's practice!
INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS
 Sets and tuples
INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

George Boorman
Curriculum Manager, DataCamp
Sets
Contain unique data
Unchangeable*
Can add or remove values, but cannot change them

Ideal to identify and remove duplicates

Quick to search (compared to other data structures such as lists)

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a set
Set = {}

: = Dictionary

No : = Set

# Create an attendee set

attendees_set = {"John Smith", "Alan Jones", "Roger Thompson",
"John Smith", "Brandon Sharp", "Sam Washington"}
print(attendees_set)

{'Alan Jones', 'Brandon Sharp', 'John Smith',

'Roger Thompson', 'Sam Washington'}

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Converting to a set
# Existing list variable
attendees_list = ["John Smith", "Alan Jones", "Roger Thompson",
"John Smith", "Brandon Sharp", "Sam Washington"]

# Convert to a set
attendees_set = set(attendees_list)

# Check the data type

type(attendees_set)

set

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Converting to a set
print(attendees_set)

{'Sam Washington', 'Roger Thompson', 'Alan Jones', 'John Smith', 'Brandon Sharp'}

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Limitations of sets
Don't have an index
Can't have duplicates

Can't subset with []

# Trying to subset a set

attendees_set[0]

TypeError: 'set' object is not subscriptable

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Sorting a set
attendees_set = {"John Smith", "Alan Jones", "Roger Thompson",
"John Smith", "Brandon Sharp", "Sam Washington"}

# Sorting a set
sorted(attendees_set)

['Alan Jones', 'Brandon Sharp', 'John Smith', 'Roger Thompson', 'Sam Washington']

sorted() returns a list

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

 Tuples
Immutable - cannot be changed
No adding values

No removing values

No changing values

Ordered
Can subset by index i.e., [0]

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INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Creating a tuple
# Creating a tuple
office_locations = ("New York City", "London", "Leuven")

# Convert another data structure to a tuple

attendees = tuple(attendees_list)

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Accessing tuples
# Access the second element
office_locations[1]

"London"

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

Data structures summary
Data Allow duplicate Subset with
structure Syntax Immutable values Ordered []

List [1, 2, 3] No Yes Yes Yes - index

Dictionary {key:value} No Yes Yes Yes - key

Set {1, 2, 3} No No No No

Tuple (1, 2, 3) Yes Yes Yes Yes - index

INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS

 Let's practice!
INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON FOR DEVELOPERS