Python Sets
myset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
Set
Sets are used to store multiple items in a single
variable.
Set is one of 4 built-in data types in Python used to
store collections of data, the other 3 are List, Tuple,
and Dictionary, all with different qualities and usage.
A set is a collection which
is unordered, unchangeable*, and unindexed.
* Note: Set items are unchangeable, but you can
remove items and add new items.
Sets are written with curly brackets.
Example
Create a Set:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
print(thisset)
Set Items
Set items are unordered, unchangeable, and do not
allow duplicate values.
Unordered
Unordered means that the items in a set do not have a
defined order.
Set items can appear in a different order every time
you use them, and cannot be referred to by index or
key.
Unchangeable
Set items are unchangeable, meaning that we cannot
change the items after the set has been created.
Once a set is created, you cannot change its items, but
you can remove items and add new items.
Duplicates Not Allowed
Sets cannot have two items with the same value.
Example
Duplicate values will be ignored:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry", "apple"}
print(thisset)
Get the Length of a Set
To determine how many items a set has, use
the len() function.
Example
Get the number of items in a set:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
print(len(thisset))
The set() Constructor
It is also possible to use the set() constructor to make
a set.
Example
Using the set() constructor to make a set:
thisset = set(("apple", "banana", "cherry")) # note
the double round-brackets
print(thisset)
Output
{'apple', 'banana', 'cherry'}
Python - Access Set Items
Access Items
You cannot access items in a set by referring to an
index or a key.
But you can loop through the set items using
a for loop, or ask if a specified value is present in a
set, by using the in keyword.
Example
Loop through the set, and print the values:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
for x in thisset:
print(x)
apple
banana
cherry
Python - Add Set Items
Add Items
Once a set is created, you cannot change its items, but
you can add new items.
To add one item to a set use the add() method.
Example
Add an item to a set, using the add() method:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
thisset.add("orange")
print(thisset)
output
{'apple', 'cherry', 'orange', 'banana'}
Add Sets
To add items from another set into the current set, use
the update() method.
Example
Add elements from tropical into thisset:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
tropical = {"pineapple", "mango", "papaya"}
thisset.update(tropical)
print(thisset)
Output
{'apple', 'mango', 'cherry', 'pineapple', 'banana',
'papaya'}
Add Any Iterable
The object in the update() method does not have to be
a set, it can be any iterable object (tuples, lists,
dictionaries etc.).
Example
Add elements of a list to at set:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
mylist = ["kiwi", "orange"]
thisset.update(mylist)
print(thisset)
output
{'banana', 'cherry', 'apple', 'orange', 'kiwi'}
Python - Remove Set Item
Remove Item
To remove an item in a set, use the remove(), or
the discard() method.
Example
Remove "banana" by using the remove() method:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
thisset.remove("banana")
print(thisset)
output
{'cherry', 'apple'}
Note: If the item to remove does not
exist, remove() will raise an error.
Example
Remove "banana" by using the discard() method:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
thisset.discard("banana")
print(thisset)
output
{'cherry', 'apple'}
Note: If the item to remove does not
exist, discard() will NOT raise an error.
You can also use the pop() method to remove an item,
but this method will remove the last item. Remember
that sets are unordered, so you will not know what
item that gets removed.
The return value of the pop() method is the removed
item.
Example
Remove the last item by using the pop() method:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
x = thisset.pop()
print(x)
print(thisset)
ouput
banana
{'cherry', 'apple'}
Note: Sets are unordered, so when using
the pop() method, you do not know which item that
gets removed.
Example
The clear() method empties the set:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
thisset.clear()
print(thisset)
output
set()
The del keyword will delete the set completely:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
del thisset
print(thisset)
Python - Loop Sets
Loop Items
You can loop through the set items by using a for loop:
Example
Loop through the set, and print the values:
thisset = {"apple", "banana", "cherry"}
for x in thisset:
print(x)
Python - Join Sets
Join Two Sets
There are several ways to join two or more sets in
Python.
You can use the union() method that returns a new set
containing all items from both sets, or
the update() method that inserts all the items from one
set into another:
Example
The union() method returns a new set with all items
from both sets:
set1 = {"a", "b" , "c"}
set2 = {1, 2, 3}
set3 = set1.union(set2)
print(set3)
output
{1, 'b', 2, 'c', 'a', 3}
The update() method inserts the items in set2 into
set1:
set1 = {"a", "b" , "c"}
set2 = {1, 2, 3}
set1.update(set2)
print(set1)
output
{'b', 1, 'a', 3, 2, 'c'}
Note: Both union() and update() will exclude any
duplicate items.
