Delimiter

Definition

A delimiter is a character or sequence of characters used to specify the boundary between separate parts of text. In Python, delimiters are often used in string operations such as splitting and joining.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. A common delimiter is a comma, but it can be any character like spaces, tabs, or even specific strings.
2. The split() method in Python uses a delimiter to break a string into a list of substrings.
3. The join() method uses a specified delimiter to concatenate elements of an iterable into a single string.
4. Delimiters can be customized and are not limited to default characters; for example, you can split by '###' if needed.
5. Incorrect or missing delimiters may lead to unexpected results or errors in string manipulation.

Review Questions

• What is the role of a delimiter when using the split() method?
• Give an example of using a non-default delimiter with join().
• How does changing the delimiter affect the output of splitting a string?

Related terms

split():

A method that divides a string into a list based on a specified delimiter.

join():

A method that concatenates elements of an iterable into one string with each element separated by the specified delimiter.

String:

A sequence of characters used to represent text in programming.