Introduction to Python BIF: Quickly master Python built-in functions
Python is an elegant language, and certain features of it allow a programmer to complete a task in a fraction of the time. Python built-in functions are one such feature. Python BIF (Built-in Functions) is a set of predefined functions in Python, which can be used without additional import libraries or modules. Python BIFs are stored in the __builtins__ module and are loaded automatically when the python interpreter starts or in the shell.
In this article, we will introduce some Python built-in functions in depth to help you understand Python better. There are more than 100 BIFs in Python, and this article will highlight some of the most important functions. If you are new to Python, then this article will be a treasure for you. So, let’s get started.
Common built-in functions
The following are the most commonly used and easy-to-remember BIFs in Python. The specific meaning and usage of these functions will be discussed in detail below.
- len
- type
- list
- str
- range
- dict
- set
Important built-in functions
print()
Python’s built-in function print() is used to output content (strings, numbers, etc.) to the terminal. It can output multiple parameters at the same time, where each parameter will be separated by ” ” (a space). We can use the sep parameter to change the separator.
# output numbers
print(2021)
# output string
print('Hello World!')
# Output multiple parameters
print('Hello', 'World!')
# Output multiple parameters, separated by,
print('Hello', 'World!', sep=', ')
output:
2021 Hello World! Hello World! Hello, World!
len()
The len() built-in function is used to return the length or number of elements of a sequence type (such as string, list, tuple, dictionary, etc.).
# Get the string length
my_string = "Python is a great programming language"
print(len(my_string))
# get list length
my_list = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dragon fruit']
print(len(my_list))
# Get the length of the tuple
my_tuple = ('apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dragon fruit')
print(len(my_tuple))
# Get the length of the dictionary
my_dict = {<!-- -->'name': 'John', 'age': 38, 'country': 'USA'}
print(len(my_dict))
output:
39 4 4 3
type()
Used to return the data type of the given object.
# get integer type
x = 5
print(type(x))
# get floating point type
y = 3.14
print(type(y))
# get string type
z = 'Hello, World!'
print(type(z))
# get list type
my_list = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dragon fruit']
print(type(my_list))
## Get the tuple type
my_tuple = ('apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dragon fruit')
print(type(my_tuple))
# get dictionary type
my_dict = {<!-- -->'name': 'John', 'age': 38, 'country': 'USA'}
print(type(my_dict))
output:
<class 'int'> <class 'float'> <class 'str'> <class 'list'> <class 'tuple'> <class 'dict'>
list()
The Python built-in function list() is used to convert any iterable object into a list.
# convert string to list
my_string = "Hello World"
list_string = list(my_string)
print(list_string)
# Convert tuples to lists
my_tuple = ('apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dragon fruit')
list_tuple = list(my_tuple)
print(list_tuple)
# Convert the keys of the dictionary to a list
my_dict = {<!-- -->'name': 'John', 'age': 38, 'country': 'USA'}
list_dict = list(my_dict. keys())
print(list_dict)
output:
['H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', ' ', 'W', 'o' , 'r', 'l', 'd'] ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dragon fruit'] ['name', 'age', 'country']
str()
Python built-in function str() is used to convert numbers and other types of variables to string type.
# convert integer to string
x = 123
str_x = str(x)
print(str_x)
# convert float to string
y = 3.14
str_y = str(y)
print(str_y)
# convert list to string
my_list = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dragon fruit']
str_list = str(my_list)
print(str_list)
# convert dictionary to string
my_dict = {<!-- -->'name': 'John', 'age': 38, 'country': 'USA'}
str_dict = str(my_dict)
print(str_dict)
output:
123
3.14
['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dragon fruit']
{'name': 'John', 'age': 38, 'country': 'USA'}
range()
The Python built-in function range() is used to generate a sequence of integers within a specified range.
# Generate a sequence of integers from 1 to 10
my_range = range(1, 10)
print(list(my_range))
# Generate a sequence of integers starting from 0
my_range = range(10)
print(list(my_range))
# Specify the step size to generate a sequence of integers
my_range = range(0, 10, 2)
print(list(my_range))
output:
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] [0, 2, 4, 6, 8]
dict()
The Python built-in function dict() is used to create a dictionary object.
# create an empty dictionary
my_dict = dict()
print(my_dict)
# Create a dictionary with values
my_dict = dict(name='John', age=38, country='USA')
print(my_dict)
# Generate a dictionary from a list
my_dict = dict(zip(['name', 'age', 'country'], ['John', 38, 'USA']))
print(my_dict)
output:
{}
{'name': 'John', 'age': 38, 'country': 'USA'}
{'name': 'John', 'age': 38, 'country': 'USA'}
set()
Python’s built-in function set() is used to create an unordered collection of unique elements.
# create an empty collection
my_set = set()
print(my_set)
# create collection from list
my_set = set([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
print(my_set)
# Create collection from string
my_set = set("Hello, World!")
print(my_set)
output:
set()
{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
{',', 'W', 'l', 'o', 'H', 'r', ' ', 'e', ' d', '!'}
Conclusion
Python BIFs are one of the most useful features of the Python programming language. In this article, we introduced some of the most commonly used and important BIFs in Python, such as print, len, type, list, str, range, dict, and set. When you start learning Python, it is very important to understand these functions, because they are closely related to Python programming and are the basis of writing Python code.
The content described above is a small part of the built-in functions commonly used in Python. Python provides many other powerful built-in functions. These functions have different purposes and need to be used as needed in actual development. Learning and using Python built-in functions will greatly improve your programming efficiency.
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