Python Tuples

Overview

In this lesson, we'll learn about Python tuples and their proper use cases.

Objectives

Learn proper use of tuple data types
How to work with tuples
Learn the limitations of tuples

Getting Started

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What Are Tuples

A tuple is a collection of objects which ordered and immutable. Tuples are sequences, just like lists. The differences between tuples and lists are, the tuples cannot be changed unlike lists and tuples use parentheses, whereas lists use square brackets.

Unfortunately javascript does not have a tuple equivalent as of this writing.

A tuple is declared by using () or the tuple constructor, example:

tuppy = ()

new_tup = tuple()

Here's an example of a tuple:

my_tup = (1,3,4)

Tuples can have a mixture of data types:

mixed_tup = (1,'String',False, None)

A tuple cannot be modified in any way, it's best used for data that you do not want to be modified. For example if you look at the sequelize insert queries, you'll see that they are using something similar to tuples:

INSERT INTO "task" ("id","created_at","updated_at","name","status") VALUES (DEFAULT,'2018-10-23 13:58:05.380 +00:00','2018-10-23 13:58:05.380 +00:00','First task',1) RETURNING *

Accessing Tuple Values

Accessing values in tuples is performed the same way we access items in a list:

my_tup = (1,2,3,4)
print(my_tup[1]) # Returns 2
print(my_tup[1:4]) # Returns 2,3

We can also iterate through tuples:

my_tup = ('Hello', 'World')

for word in my_tup:
    print(word) # Prinst Hello, World

Tuple Methods

Python has the ability to read tuple values:

Finding Tuples Max Value:
```
  tup = (1,2,3)
  max(tup) # Returns 3
```

Finding Tuples Min Value:

  tup = (1,34,21)
  min(tup) # returns 1

Converting Lists Into Tuples:

  my_list = [1,2,3,4]
  new_tup = tuple(my_list)

Converting Tuples Into Lists:

  my_tup = (1,2,3)
  my_list = list(my_tup)

Deleting Tuples:

  my_tup = (1,2,3,4)
  del my_tup
  print(my_tup) # my_tup is undefined

You Do

Follow the directions in main.py, test your code with python3 tuple_test.py.

Recap

In this lesson we learned about tuples in Python. A few key things to note about tuples:

Tuples are immutable, meaning that they cannot be modified or updated
Tuples are typically used for data that you want to be secure when passed on to another function or operation

Resources

Python Tuples
Article: Why Use Tuples In Python?

SDBrooks/u4_lesson_python_tuples