The built-in function slice() is used to slice a given object or a sequence. The sequence may be a string, bytes, tuple, list, or range. The function allows specifying where to start and where to end the splicing also with the step.
slice(start, stop, step) #where all parameters should be integers
Takes three parameters. If the first and third parameter is emitted we can write the syntax as slice(stop).
| Parameter | Description | Required / Optional |
|---|---|---|
| start | Starting integer where the slicing of the object starts. Default to None if not provided | Optional |
| stop | Integer until which the slicing takes place. The slicing stops at index stop -1 (last element) | Required |
| step | Integer value which determines the increment between each index for slicing. Defaults to None if not provided. | Optional |
This return slice object contains the set of indices from the specified range.
| Input | Return Value |
|---|---|
| If parameters | slice object |
# contains indices (0, 1, 2)
result1 = slice(3)
print(result1)
# contains indices (1, 3)
result2 = slice(1, 5, 2)
print(slice(1, 5, 2))
Output:
slice(None, 3, None) slice(1, 5, 2)
# Program to get a substring from the given string
py_string = 'Python'
# stop = 3
# contains 0, 1 and 2 indices
slice_object = slice(3)
print(py_string[slice_object]) # Pyt
# start = 1, stop = 6, step = 2
# contains 1, 3 and 5 indices
slice_object = slice(1, 6, 2)
print(py_string[slice_object]) # yhn
Output:
Pyt yhn
py_list = ['P', 'y', 't', 'h', 'o', 'n']
py_tuple = ('P', 'y', 't', 'h', 'o', 'n')
# contains indices 0, 1 and 2
slice_object = slice(3)
print(py_list[slice_object]) # ['P', 'y', 't']
# contains indices 1 and 3
slice_object = slice(1, 5, 2)
print(py_tuple[slice_object]) # ('y', 'h')
Output:
['P', 'y', 't']
('y', 'h')
py_list = ['P', 'y', 't', 'h', 'o', 'n']
py_tuple = ('P', 'y', 't', 'h', 'o', 'n')
# contains indices -1, -2 and -3
slice_object = slice(-1, -4, -1)
print(py_list[slice_object]) # ['n', 'o', 'h']
# contains indices -1 and -3
slice_object = slice(-1, -5, -2)
print(py_tuple[slice_object]) # ('n', 'h')
Output:
['n', 'o', 'h']
('n', 'h')
py_string = 'Python'
# contains indices 0, 1 and 2
print(py_string[0:3]) # Pyt
# contains indices 1 and 3
print(py_string[1:5:2]) # yh
Output:
Pyt yh
