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How to Print Horizontal Lines and Control Newlines in Python

This guide explores various techniques for printing horizontal lines and managing newlines in Python. We will cover printing basic horizontal lines with character repetition, printing list items horizontally, inserting multiple blank lines, and removing trailing newlines.

Printing a Horizontal Line​

To print a horizontal line using a single character, use the multiplication operator with a string and an integer:

print('─' * 25)
print('⸻' * 25)
print('⸺' * 25)
print('*' * 25)

output

─────────────────────────
⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
*************************
  • This approach is very simple to use, and you can use any character and any number.

Printing List Items Horizontally​

To print items from a list horizontally (on the same line), use the print() function's end argument with a space as separator or the iterable unpacking operator:

my_list = ['tutorial', 'reference', 'com']

# Using the end argument with a space
for item in my_list:
    print(item, end=' ')  # Output: tutorial reference com

# Using the iterable unpacking operator
print(*my_list)  # Output: tutorial reference com
print(*my_list, sep='-')  # Output: tutorial-reference-com
  • Using the end parameter causes each element of the list to be printed, and the specified string (in this case a space) is added after every element.
  • The iterable unpacking operator (*) unpacks the list items in the call to print which causes them to be printed on the same line by default, using a space as a separator, or using a separator specified with the sep parameter.

Printing Multiple Blank Lines​

To print multiple blank lines, use the multiplication operator with the newline character '\n':

print('before')
print('\n' * 3)
print('after')

output

before




after

The newline character causes a new line to be inserted, and the multiplication operator prints multiple newline characters.

Removing Trailing Newline Characters​

The print() function automatically adds a newline character at the end of its output. To remove this, set the end argument to an empty string (''):

print('a', 'b', 'c')
print('a', 'b', 'c', end='')

print('before', end='')
print('\n' * 3)
print('after', end='')

output

a b c
a b cbefore



after
  • When the end argument is set to empty string, no new line will be added automatically.

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