- Problem Formulation
- Method 1: Unpacking
- Method 2: Unpacking with Separator
- Method 3: Slicing String Representation
- Method 4: String Join With Generator Expression
- Where to Go From Here?
Problem Formulation
Given a tuple of elements. If you print the tuple to the shell using print[[1, 2, 3]], the output is enclosed in parentheses like so: [1, 2, 3]. But you want the list without brackets like so: 1, 2, 3.
print[[1, 2, 3]] # Output: [1, 2, 3] # Desired: 1, 2, 3
How to print the tuple without enclosing parentheses?
Method 1: Unpacking
The asterisk operator * is used to unpack an iterable into
the argument list of a given function. You can unpack all tuple elements into the print[] function to print each of them individually. Per default, all print arguments are separated by an empty space. For example, the expression print[*my_tuple] will print the elements in my_tuple
my_tuple = [1, 2, 3] print[*my_tuple] # Output: 1 2 3
To master the basics of unpacking, feel free to check out this video on the asterisk operator:
Asterisk operator
Method 2: Unpacking with Separator
To print a comma-separated tuple without enclosing parentheses, the most Pythonic way is to unpack all tuple values into the print[] function and use the sep=', ' argument to separate the tuple elements with a comma and a space. Specifically, the expression print[*my_tuple, sep=', '] will print the tuple elements without parentheses and with a comma between subsequent tuple elements.
my_tuple = [1, 2, 3] print[*my_tuple, sep=', '] # Output: 1, 2, 3
You can learn about the ins and outs of the built-in print[] function in the following video:
Python Print Function [And Its SECRET Separator & End Arguments]
Method 3: Slicing String Representation
Slicing is a concise way to access a subsequence from an original sequence. You can use
slicing on the string representation of a tuple to access all characters except the first and last ones—that are the opening and closing parenthesis characters. For example, the expression print[str[[1, 2, 3]][1:-1]] prints the tuple as
"1, 2, 3" without enclosing parentheses.
my_tuple = [1, 2, 3] print[str[my_tuple][1:-1]] # Output: 1, 2, 3
Feel free to dive into slicing next to boost your coding skills:
The Ultimate Guide to Slicing in Python
Method 4: String Join With Generator Expression
You can print a tuple without parentheses by combining the string.join[] method on the separator string ', ' with a generator expression to convert each tuple element to a
string using the str[] built-in function. Specifially, the expression print[', '.join[str[x] for x in my_tuple]] prints my_tuple to the shell without enclosing parentheses.
my_tuple = [1, 2, 3] print[', '.join[str[x] for x in my_tuple]] # Output: 1, 2, 3
You can modify the separator string on which you join to customize the appearance of the tuple:
my_tuple = [1, 2, 3] print['-'.join[str[x] for x in my_tuple]] # Output: 1-2-3
- The
string.join[iterable]method concatenates the elements in the given iterable. - The
str[object]built-in function converts a given object to its string representation. - Generator expressions or list comprehensions are concise one-liner ways to create a new iterable based by reusing elements from another iterable.
You can dive deeper into generators in the following video:
Understanding Generators In Python
Where to Go From Here?
Enough theory. Let’s get some practice!
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