What is a tuple?
Tuples are very similar to lists, but it is unable to be changed (immutable). This provides a tiny performance and memory savings. More importantly provides a hint to the interpreter and some code protection when you know a data structure shouldn't be changing.
The difference in performance is not something you should code for unless you are working with extremely large datasets. The fact they are immutable is the main reason to use tuples over a list.
The syntax of a tuple is almost exactly like a list, except you use ( ) instead of [ ].
List
['Bob Jones', 'Manager', 'Denver']
Tuple
('Bob Jones', 'Manager', 'Denver')
What is a named tuple
A named tuple is a module from the collection class that allows you to name the elements in a tuple so they can act as a lightweight class or enum.
Example Usage
from collections import namedtuple
Employee = namedtuple('Employee', ['name', 'role', 'location'])
bob = Employee('Bob Jones', 'Manager', 'Denver')
print(bob.name)
collections is a default package and you do not need to install it, but you will need to import it. Accessing the name of an Employee data set is really easy and readable. It makes for easier to read code and fewer bugs and is very lightweight. In some text editors/IDEs it can also provide code insight and auto-completion.
If you have objects that should not be changing and don't require methods (class functions) then tuples are likely are a better choice than a list.
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Can you comment on when is it better to use a namedtuple vs a dictionary and vice versa?
A named tuple does not require a key and is not required to be hashable. Named tuples are ordered, unlike a dict. You can also use dot notation instead of [' '] which is a bit easier to type and has some readability improvements.
Thanks! I use python for data analysis but rarely use things like namedtuple and dictionary. By ordered I suppose you mean that if I want to, I can iterate through a namedtuple but not a dictionary?
When you use a dict, there is no guarantee you will get the keys in the order you created them. Access is typically by key so that's not important.
WIth named tuple, you know the first element, will always be returned first.
Cool! Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for this lecture on tuple. Programming is life
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