Strings

Python String

What are Python Strings?

• Python Strings are a sequences of characters used to represent text.
• Enclosed in single quotes (') or double quotes (").
• Immutable: Once created, their contents cannot be changed directly.

Python String Key Points

You should learn following important points, if you are new to Python String.

1. Creating Strings
2. Accessing Characters
3. Slicing Strings
4. String Concatenation
5. String Formatting
6. Common String Methods

1. Creating Strings

name = "Kuntal"

greeting = 'Hello !!!'

long_msg = """This is a multiline

   string using triple quotes."""

print(greeting)

print(name)

print(long_msg)

Output:

Hello !!!

Kuntal

This is a multiline

string using triple quotes.

2. Accessing Characters

first_char = name[0]  # Access first character

last_char = name[-1]  # Access last character

print(first_char)

print(last_char)

Output:

K

l

3. Slicing Strings

substring = greeting[0:2]  # Extract "He from Hello !!!"

print(substring)

Output:

He

4. String Concatenation

full_message = greeting + " " + name

print(full_message)

Output:

Hello !!! Kuntal

5. String Formatting

age = 40

formatted_text = "My name is {} and I am {} years old.".format(name, age)

print(formatted_text)

Output:

My name is Kuntal and I am 40 years old.

6. Common String Methods

print(name.upper())   # Convert to uppercase

print(greeting.lower())  # Convert to lowercase

print(long_msg.splitlines())  # Split into a list of lines

Output:

KUNTAL

hello !!!

['This is a multiline', ' string using triple quotes.']

Additional Notes:

• Escape Sequences: Use backslashes (\) to represent special characters like newlines (\n) and tabs (\t).
• Raw Strings: Prefix a string with r to ignore escape sequences: r'This string\nhas no newline'

Python is very good in String Processing. Strings can be enclosed in single quotes like 'PythonPracticals' or double quotes like "PythonPracticals".

>>> 'Python Practicals'  # single quotes
'Python Practicals'

>>> "Python Practicals"  # double quotes
'Python Practicals'

Observe the following code:

>>> 'Python's Practicals'
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

Reason of Error in above statement:

String starts at first single quote (') and ends at second single ('); hence above statement will result in error. The correct way of printing single quote (') in string is as under:

# Use \' to print single quote

>>> 'Python\'s Practicals' 

"Python's Practicals" 

#Another way to print ‘ is use double quote

>>> "Python's Practicals" 
"Python's Practicals"

# Following two statements will produce same output 

>>>'"Yes, you are correct"'
'"Yes, you are correct"' 

>>> '\"Yes, you are correct\"'
'"Yes,you are correct"'

# To print string without start and end quote, use print( )

>>> print("Yes, you are correct")
Yes, you are correct

print() function

Python print() function produces a more readable output; it will omits the enclosing quotes while printing output as shown below:

#Use print() function to avoid quotes in output string

>>> print("PythonPracticals.Blogspot.Com")
PythonPracticals.Blogspot.Com

Multi line String output using Newline character

>>> print("Python\nPracticals\n.Blogspot\n.Com")
Python
Practicals
.Blogspot
.Com

# Note: \n is a newline character

If you don’t want special characters (\n) to be interpreted as newline character, you can use raw strings by adding an r before the first quote as shown below:

# In following statement \n means newline

>>> print('C:\python\new’)

C:\python
ew

# r will remove the effect of \n

>>> print(r'C:\python\new')  
C:\python\new

Multi line String output using Paragraph format

String can span across multiple lines. One way of doing this is use triple-quotes: """...""" or '''...'''. End of line ( \n ) is automatically included in the string:

>>> print("""Hello
Students
How are you?
""")
Hello
Students
How are you?

Read more Python String Handouts

• Python String Merge Function (String concatenation)

• String and Index Number in Python

• Sub-string in Python using Slicing
• Popular Python String Methods (Functions)

* * * * *

< Back to Home Page >