Python Tuples

mytuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )

Tuple
Tuples are used to store multiple items in a single variable.
Tuple is one of 4 built-in data types in Python used to store
collections of data, the other 3 are List, Set, and Dictionary,
all with different qualities and usage.
A tuple is a collection which is ordered and unchangeable.
Tuples are written with round brackets.
Example
Create a Tuple:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
print (thistuple)

Tuple Items
Tuple items are ordered, unchangeable, and allow duplicate
values.
Tuple items are indexed, the first item has index [0] , the
second item has index[1] etc.

Ordered
When we say that tuples are ordered, it means that the items
have a defined order, and that order will not change.

Unchangeable
Tuples are unchangeable, meaning that we cannot change, add or
remove items after the tuple has been created.
Allow Duplicates
Since tuple are indexed, tuples can have items with the same
value:
Example
Tuples allow duplicate values:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" , "apple" ,"cherry" )
print (thistuple)

Tuple Length
To determine how many items a tuple has, use the len( )function:
Example
Print the number of items in the tuple:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
print (len (thistuple))

Create Tuple With One Item

To create a tuple with only one item, you have to add a comma
after the item otherwise Python will not recognize it as a
tuple.
Example
One item tuple, remember the commma:
thistuple = ("apple" ,)
print (type (thistuple))
#NOT a tuple
thistuple = ("apple" )
print (type (thistuple))
Tuple Items - Data Types
Tuple items can be of any data type:
Example
String, int and boolean data types:
tuple1 = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
tuple2 = (1 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 3 )
tuple3 = (True , False , False )
A tuple can contain different data types:
Example
A tuple with strings, integers and boolean values:
tuple1 = ("abc" , 34 , True , 40 , "male" )

type()
From Python's perspective, tuples are defined as objects with
the data type 'tuple':
<class 'tuple'>
Example
What is the data type of a tuple?
mytuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
print (type (mytuple))

The tuple() Constructor

It is also possible to use the tuple( ) constructor to make a
tuple.
Example
Using the tuple() method to make a tuple:
thistuple = tuple(("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )) # note the
double roundbrackets
print (thistuple)
Python Collections (Arrays)
There are four collection data types in the Python programming
language:
● List is a collection which is ordered and changeable. Allows
duplicate members.
● Tuple is a collection which is ordered and unchangeable.
Allows duplicate members.
● Set is a collection which is unordered and unindexed. No
duplicate members.
● Dictionary is a collection which is unordered and changeable.
No duplicate members.
When choosing a collection type, it is useful to understand the
properties of that type. Choosing the right type for a
particular data set could mean retention of meaning, and, it
could mean an increase in efficiency or security.
Python - Access Tuple Items
Access Tuple Items
You can access tuple items by referring to the index number,
inside square brackets:
Example
Print the second item in the tuple:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
print (thistuple[1])
Note: The first item has index 0.
Negative Indexing
Negative indexing means start from the end.
- 1 refers to the last item, - 2 refers to the second last item
etc.
Example
Print the last item of the tuple:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
print (thistuple[-1])

Range of Indexes
You can specify a range of indexes by specifying where to start
and where to end the range.
When specifying a range, the return value will be a new tuple
with the specified items.
Example
Return the third, fourth, and fifth item:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" , "orange" , "kiwi" ,
"melon" , "mango" )
print (thistuple[2 :5 ])
Note: The search will start at index 2 (included) and end at
index 5 (not included).
Remember that the first item has index 0.
By leaving out the start value, the range will start at the
first item:
Example
This example returns the items from the beginning to, but NOT
included, "kiwi":
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" , "orange" , "kiwi" ,
"melon" , "mango" )
print (thistuple[:4 ])
By leaving out the end value, the range will go on to the end of
the list:
Example
This example returns the items from "cherry" and to the end:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" , "orange" , "kiwi" ,
"melon" , "mango" )
print (thistuple[2 :])

Range of Negative Indexes

Specify negative indexes if you want to start the search from
the end of the tuple:
Example
This example returns the items from index -4 (included) to index
-1 (excluded)
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" , "orange" , "kiwi" ,
"melon" , "mango" )
print (thistuple[-4 :-1 ])

Check if Item Exists

To determine if a specified item is present in a tuple use the i
n keyword:
Example
Check if "apple" is present in the tuple:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
if "apple" in thistuple:
print ("Yes, 'apple' is in the fruits tuple" )
Python - Update Tuples
Tuples are unchangeable, meaing that you cannot change, add, or
remove items once the tuple is created.
But there are some workarounds.
Change Tuple Values
Once a tuple is created, you cannot change its values. Tuples
are unchangeable, or immutable as it also is called.
But there is a workaround. You can convert the tuple into a
list, change the list,
and convert the list back into a tuple.
Example
Convert the tuple into a list to be able to change it:
x = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
y = list (x)
y[1 ] = "kiwi"
x = tuple (y)
print (x)

Add Items
Once a tuple is created, you cannot add items to it.
Example
You cannot add items to a tuple:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
thistuple.append("orange" ) # This will raise an error
print (thistuple)
Just like the workaround for changing a tuple, you can convert
it into a list, add your item(s), and convert it back into a
tuple.
Example
Convert the tuple into a list, add "orange", and convert it back
into a tuple:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
y = list (thistuple)
y.append("orange" )
thistuple = tuple (y)
Remove Items
Note: You cannot remove items in a tuple.
Tuples are unchangeable, so you cannot remove items from it, but
you can use the same workaround as we used for changing and
adding tuple items:
Example
Convert the tuple into a list, remove "apple", and convert it
back into a tuple:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
y = list (thistuple)
y.remove("apple" )
thistuple = tuple (y)
Or you can delete the tuple completely:
Example
The de l keyword can delete the tuple completely:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
del thistuple
print (thistuple) #this will raise an error because the tuple no
longer exists
Python - Unpack Tuples
Unpacking a Tuple
When we create a tuple, we normally assign values to it. This is
called "packing" a tuple:
Example
Packing a tuple:
fruits = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
But, in Python, we are also allowed to extract the values back
into variables.This is called "unpacking":
Example
Unpacking a tuple:
fruits = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
(green, yellow, red) = fruits
print (green)
print (yellow)
print (red)
Note: The number of variables must match the number of values in
the tuple, if not, you must use an asterix to collect the
remaining values as a list.

Using Asterix *
If the number of variables is less than the number of values,
you can add an * to the variable name and the values will be
assigned to the variable as a list:
Example
Assign the rest of the values as a list called "red":
fruits = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" , "strawberry" ,
"raspberry" )
(green, yellow, *red) = fruits
print (green)
print (yellow)
print (red)
If the asterix is added to another variable name than the last,
Python will assign values to the variable until the number of
values left matches the number of variables left.
Example
Add a list of values the "tropic" variable:
fruits = ("apple" , "mango" , "papaya" , "pineapple" ,"cherry" )
green, *tropic, red) = fruits
print (green)
print (tropic)
print (red)
Python - Loop Tuples
Loop Through a Tuple
You can loop through the tuple items by using a fo r loop.
Example
Iterate through the items and print the values:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
for x in thistuple:
print (x)
Loop Through the Index Numbers
You can also loop through the tuple items by referring to their
index number.
Use the range( ) and len( ) functions to create a suitable
iterable.
Example
Print all items by referring to their index number:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
for i in range (len (thistuple)):
print (thistuple[i])

Using a While Loop

You can loop through the list items by using a while loop.
Use the len( ) function to determine the length of the tuple,
then start at 0 and loop your way through the tuple items by
refering to their indexes.
Remember to increase the index by 1 after each iteration.
Example
Print all items, using a whil e loop to go through all the index
numbers:
thistuple = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
i = 0
while i < len (thistuple):
print (thistuple[i])
i = i + 1
 Python - Join Tuples
Join Two Tuples
To join two or more tuples you can use the + operator:
Example
Join two tuples:
tuple1 = ("a" , "b" , "c" )
tuple2 = (1 , 2 , 3 )
tuple3 = tuple1 + tuple2
print (tuple3)

Multiply Tuples
If you want to multiply the content of a tuple a given number of
times, you can
use the * operator:
Example
Multiply the fruits tuple by 2:
fruits = ("apple" , "banana" , "cherry" )
mytuple = fruits * 2
print (mytuple)
Python - Tuple Methods
Tuple Methods
Python has two built-in methods that you can use on tuples.
Method Description
count() Returns the number of times a specified value occurs in
a tuple
index() Searches the tuple for a specified value and returns the
position of where it was found