Real Python: Using the len() Function in Python

In many situations, you’ll need to find the number of items stored in a data structure. Python’s built-in function len() is the tool that will help you with this task.

There are some cases in which the use of len() is straightforward. However, there are other times when you’ll need to understand how this function works in more detail and how to apply it to different data types.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to:

• Find the length of built-in data types using len()
• Use len() with third-party data types
• Provide support for len() with user-defined classes

By the end of this article, you’ll know when to use the len() Python function and how to use it effectively. You’ll know which built-in data types are valid arguments for len() and which ones you can’t use. You’ll also understand how to use len() with third-party types, such as ndarray in NumPy and DataFrame in pandas, and with your own classes.

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Getting Started With Python’s len()

The function len() is one of Python’s built-in functions. It returns the length of an object. For example, it can return the number of items in a list. You can use the function with many different data types. However, not all data types are valid arguments for len().

You can start by looking at the help for this function:

>>>

>>> help(len)
Help on built-in function len in module builtins:
len(obj, /)
    Return the number of items in a container.

The function takes an object as an argument and returns the length of that object. The documentation for len() goes a bit further:

Return the length (the number of items) of an object. The argument may be a sequence (such as a string, bytes, tuple, list, or range) or a collection (such as a dictionary, set, or frozen set). (Source)

When you use built-in data types and many third-party types with len(), the function doesn’t need to iterate through the data structure. The length of a container object is stored as an attribute of the object. The value of this attribute is modified each time items are added to or removed from the data structure, and len() returns the value of the length attribute. This ensures that len() works efficiently.

In the following sections, you’ll learn about how to use len() with sequences and collections. You’ll also learn about some data types that you cannot use as arguments for the len() Python function.

Using len() With Built-in Sequences

A sequence is a container with ordered items. Lists, tuples, and strings are three of the basic built-in sequences in Python. You can find the length of a sequence by calling len():

>>>

>>> greeting = "Good Day!"
>>> len(greeting)
9

>>> office_days = ["Tuesday", "Thursday", "Friday"]
>>> len(office_days)
3

>>> london_coordinates = (51.50722, -0.1275)
>>> len(london_coordinates)
2

When finding the length of the string greeting, the list office_days, and the tuple london_coordinates, you use len() in the same manner. All three data types are valid arguments for len().

The function len() always returns an integer as it’s counting the number of items in the object that you pass to it. The function returns 0 if the argument is an empty sequence:

>>>

>>> len("")
0
>>> len([])
0
>>> len(())
0

In the examples above, you find the length of an empty string, an empty list, and an empty tuple. The function returns 0 in each case.

A range object is also a sequence that you can create using range(). A range object doesn’t store all the values but generates them when they’re needed. However, you can still find the length of a range object using len():

>>>

>>> len(range(1, 20, 2))
10

This range of numbers includes the integers from 1 to 19 with increments of 2. The length of a range object can be determined from the start, stop, and step values.

In this section, you’ve used the len() Python function with strings, lists, tuples, and range objects. However, you can also use the function with any other built-in sequence.

Read the full article at https://realpython.com/len-python-function/ »

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