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How to Add Spaces to Strings in Python

This guide covers various techniques for adding spaces to strings in Python, including:

  • Adding spaces at the beginning or end (padding).
  • Adding spaces between variables during string construction.
  • Inserting spaces between characters within a string.

We'll explore methods like str.ljust(), str.rjust(), f-strings, str.join(), and basic string concatenation.

f-strings (formatted string literals) provide a very readable and flexible way to add spaces, both for padding and for inserting spaces between variables. This is generally the preferred method due to its conciseness and versatility.

Padding to the End (Left-Justifying)​

my_str = 'abc'
result = f'{my_str: <6}'  # Left-justify, total width 6
print(repr(result))  # Output: 'abc   '
  • Explanation of f'{my_str: <6}':
    • my_str: The variable to be formatted.
    • :: Introduces the format specifier.
    • <: Left-aligns the text within the field.
    • 6: The total width of the field. Spaces are added to the end to reach this width.

Padding at the Beginning (Right-Justifying)​

my_str = 'abc'
result = f'{my_str: >6}'  # Right-justify, total width 6
print(repr(result))  # Output: '   abc'
  • Explanation of f'{my_str: >6}':
    • >: Right-aligns the text.
    • 6: Total width. Spaces are added to the beginning.
note

You can also use a variable to specify the width:

my_str = 'abc'
width = 6
result = f'{my_str: >{width}}'
print(repr(result))  # Output: '   abc'

Adding Spaces Between Variables​

f-strings handle spaces between variables naturally:

var_1 = 'hello'
var_2 = 123
result = f'{var_1} {var_2}' # space between variables
print(result) # Output: hello 123
  • Just put a space between the variables within the f-string. F-strings automatically convert non-string values (like var_2) to strings. This is much cleaner than manual concatenation.

Adding Spaces with str.ljust() and str.rjust()​

str.ljust() and str.rjust() are string methods specifically for padding:

  • str.ljust(width, fillchar=' '): Left-justifies the string within the given width, padding with fillchar (defaults to a space) on the right.
  • str.rjust(width, fillchar=' '): Right-justifies the string within the given width, padding with fillchar (defaults to a space) on the left.
my_str = 'abc'

result_ljust = my_str.ljust(6, ' ')  # Pad on the right
print(repr(result_ljust))            # Output: 'abc   '

result_rjust = my_str.rjust(6, ' ')  # Pad on the left
print(repr(result_rjust))            # Output: '   abc'
  • The methods ljust and rjust return a new string, without modifying the original one.

Adding Spaces with String Concatenation (+) and Multiplication (*)​

You can use the + operator for concatenation and the * operator for repetition, but this is generally less readable than f-strings or ljust/rjust:

my_str = 'abc'
result = my_str + " " * 3   # Add three spaces to the end
print(repr(result))         # Output: 'abc   '

result = " " * 3 + my_str   # Add three spaces to the beginning
print(repr(result))         # Output: '   abc'

var_1 = 'hello'
var_2 = 123
result = var_1 + ' ' * 3 + str(var_2) # Don't forget to cast if necessary!
print(repr(result))         # Output: 'hello   123'
note

You have to cast any numeric value to a string before concatenating it with a string using the + operator, but f-strings do this automatically.

Adding Spaces Between Characters with str.join()​

To insert spaces between the characters of a string:

my_str = 'abcde'
result = ' '.join(my_str)
print(result)  # Output: a b c d e
  • ' '.join(my_str): The join() method is called on the separator string (a single space in this instance). It takes an iterable (in this case, the string my_str, which is treated as an iterable of characters) and inserts the separator between each element.

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