These guys may not get as much love as the big guns like functions or classes, but they are just as important in keeping everything organized and tidy.
First off, let’s define what we mean by “delimiter” and “object.”In Python, a delimiter is simply any character that separates one thing from another for example, the comma (`,`) between items in a list or tuple, or the colon (`:`) between key-value pairs in a dictionary. An object, on the other hand, refers to anything that can be assigned a value and has its own identity within Python’s memory.
Now, Let’s jump right into some examples of delimiters and objects in action! First up: lists and tuples. These are both sequence data types (meaning they have an order), but there is one key difference between them you can’t modify a tuple once it has been created, whereas you can add or remove items from a list at any time.
Here’s what that looks like:
# Creating a list with delimiters (comma)
my_list = [1, 2, 3]
# Adding an item to the end of the list using append() method
my_list.append(4) # append() method adds an item to the end of the list
# Removing an item from the middle of the list using remove() method
my_list.remove(2) # remove() method removes the specified item from the list
# Printing the updated list
print(my_list) # prints the updated list with the removed item and added item
Now tuples:
# Creating a tuple with parentheses
my_tuple = (1, 2, 3)
# Tuples are immutable, meaning they cannot be modified after creation
# Trying to modify the tuple using append() method will result in an error!
my_tuple.append(4) # TypeError: 'tuple' object does not support item assignment
Next up: dictionaries. These are key-value pairs that allow you to store and retrieve data quickly, without having to search through a list or tuple for the specific value you need. Here’s an example of creating a dictionary with delimiters (colons):
# Creating a dictionary with key-value pairs using curly braces and delimiters (colon)
my_dict = {"name": "John", "age": 30} # Dictionary named "my_dict" with keys "name" and "age" and corresponding values "John" and 30
# Accessing values using keys
print(my_dict["name"]) # Prints the value associated with the key "name" in the dictionary, which is "John"
Finally, strings. These are sequences of characters that can be used to represent text or other data in Python. Strings have their own set of delimiters (quotes), which allow you to create a literal string with quotes inside it without causing any issues:
# Creating a string with delimiters (single and double quotes)
my_string = "This is a 'literal' string" # Assigning a string value to the variable "my_string" using single and double quotes as delimiters
# Using triple quotes for multi-line strings
my_multiline_string = """This is a
multi-line
string""" # Assigning a multi-line string value to the variable "my_multiline_string" using triple quotes as delimiters
And that’s it! Delimiters and objects are the unsung heroes of Python, but they play an essential role in keeping everything organized and tidy. By understanding how to use them properly, you can write cleaner, more efficient code which is always a good thing!