Скачать или смотреть Efficiently Converting a String into a Number in Python

Learn how to seamlessly convert strings to numbers (int or float) in Python using a simple function or module techniques. Improve your coding skills today!
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/63599986/ asked by the user 'WoJ' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/903011/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/63600039/ provided by the user 'Rakesh' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/532312/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How to convert a string into a number?

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Efficiently Converting a String into a Number in Python

In Python programming, there often comes a time when you need to convert strings that represent numbers into actual numeric types such as integers or floats. This can be especially important in scenarios where you are dealing with user input, data files, or any situation where numbers are stored as text.

You might wonder, "How can I convert a string into a number efficiently and in a more pythonic way?" That's exactly what we will explore in this guide.

The Challenge: Converting Strings to Numbers

When attempting to convert strings to numbers, you may run into different types of strings, including:

Integer strings like "0", "12", and "-13"

Float strings like "14.7" and "-14.7"

Non-numeric strings like "hello"

Initial Solution: Waterfall Function

Let’s look at a common method that many developers might use, often referred to as a "waterfall function". Here’s a simple implementation of this method:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

While this approach works well, it can be a bit cumbersome and not the most aesthetically pleasing solution. The multiple layers of try-except can make the code harder to read and maintain.

A Better Approach: Utilizing the ast Module

An alternative and more elegant solution involves using Python's built-in ast module. This module provides a function called literal_eval, which evaluates a string containing a Python literal expression. This approach simplifies our conversion process significantly.

Here’s how to implement it:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

What Makes This Solution Better?

Readability: The code is cleaner, as it reduces the amount of error handling you need to do manually.

Functionality: literal_eval can handle various types of literals (like complex numbers and tuples), while still throwing an exception for values it cannot parse.

Simplicity: You can handle conversions more succinctly with less boilerplate code.

Summary

In conclusion, converting a string into a number in Python doesn’t have to be complicated. By choosing to use the ast module and its literal_eval method, you can simplify your code, improve readability, and achieve your goals more efficiently.

Whether you're developing a small application or working on a larger project, these methods will help you handle string-to-number conversions elegantly.

Now, why not give it a try in your next Python project? Happy coding!