Tip 74 Do Not str() a str

Pythonic Programming — by Dmitry Zinoviev (86 / 116)

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★2.7, 3.4+ Function str(x) is a string constructor; it converts x, whatever it is, into a string. This function never fails, but it does not always do what you expect and is not always needed.

The function is not useful when applied to compound data structures, such as lists (Tip 36, ​Print a List​), dictionaries, sets, and generators. It displays either too many details or too few of them.

The function is not needed when x is already a string. Converting a string to a string does not change the string but takes time (0.09 ms on my computer). So, do not.

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👈 Waste Space, Save Time | TOC | Chapter 6 Safety Tips 👉

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