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How to Split Strings and Convert into Tuples in Python

This guide explores various techniques for splitting strings and creating tuples in Python. We will cover converting comma-separated strings to tuples, handling string representations of tuples, and creating tuples from a combination of strings and lists.

Splitting a String into a Tuple​

To split a delimited string into a tuple:

  1. Use str.split() with the delimiter to create a list of substrings.
  2. Use tuple() to convert the resulting list to a tuple.
my_str = 'tutorial,reference,com'
my_tuple = tuple(my_str.split(','))
print(my_tuple)  # Output: ('tutorial', 'reference', 'com')
  • The split(',') splits the string at each comma.

1. Splitting Strings on Whitespace​

If no delimiter is provided to str.split(), it splits on whitespace:

my_str = 'tutorial reference com'
my_tuple = tuple(my_str.split())
print(my_tuple)  # Output: ('tutorial', 'reference', 'com')

2. Excluding Leading/Trailing Delimiters​

If your string might have leading or trailing delimiters, you can use a generator expression to filter the empty strings that might result.

my_str = ',tutorial,reference,com,'
my_tuple = tuple(item for item in my_str.split(',') if item)
print(my_tuple)  # Output: ('tutorial', 'reference', 'com')
  • The generator expression iterates over the splitted string and only returns non-empty strings.

Converting Comma-Separated Strings to Integer Tuples​

To create a tuple of integers from a comma-separated string:

my_str = '1,2,3,4,5'
my_tuple = tuple(int(item) for item in my_str.split(','))
print(my_tuple)  # Output: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
  • The list comprehension converts each split substring to an integer using int().
  • The tuple constructor then converts the list of integers into a tuple.

Converting String Representations of Tuples to Tuples​

Using ast.literal_eval()​

The safest way to convert a string representation of a tuple to a tuple object is using ast.literal_eval():

from ast import literal_eval

my_str = '(1,2,3,4)'
my_tuple = literal_eval(my_str)
print(my_tuple)         # Output: (1, 2, 3, 4)
print(type(my_tuple))   # Output: <class 'tuple'>
  • literal_eval() safely evaluates strings only if they represent valid Python datatypes.

Handling Quoted Elements​

If the elements are quoted in the string you can strip the quotes using str.strip() or str.replace():

my_str = "('a','b','c','d')"
my_tuple = tuple(my_str.strip('()').replace("'", '').split(','))
print(my_tuple) # Output: ('a', 'b', 'c', 'd')

Using map()​

To convert the elements into specific types, such as integers, use the map function:

my_str = '(1,2,3,4)'
my_tuple = tuple(map(int, my_str.strip('()').split(',')))
print(my_tuple)  # Output: (1, 2, 3, 4)
  • my_str.strip('()') removes parentheses.
  • The split(',') method creates a list of individual string numbers.
  • The map() function applies int() to each substring, converting it to an integer value.

Converting a String to a Tuple without Splitting​

To create a tuple containing a single string, use a trailing comma:

my_str = 'one'
my_tuple = (my_str,)
print(my_tuple)         # Output: ('one',)
print(type(my_tuple))   # Output: <class 'tuple'>
  • The trailing comma distinguishes a tuple from a string enclosed in parentheses.

Creating Tuples from Strings and Lists​

There are two approaches to create a tuple from a combination of strings and lists: concatenation and list merging.

Using Tuple Concatenation​

Use tuple concatenation with trailing comma and tuple() to combine a string and list into a new tuple:

my_str = 'tutorial'
my_list = ['reference', 'com']
my_tuple = (my_str,) + tuple(my_list)
print(my_tuple) # Output: ('tutorial', 'reference', 'com')

  • (my_str,) creates a tuple from the string.
  • tuple(my_list) creates a tuple from the list.
  • + concatenates them.

Using List Concatenation and Tuple Conversion​

Merge the string and the list using the + operator with list, and convert the result into a tuple using the tuple() constructor:

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

my_tuple = tuple([my_str] + my_list)
print(my_tuple)  # Output: ('tutorial', 'reference', 'com')
  • [my_str] wraps the string in a list, enabling list merging.

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