Unpack Tuples

Unpack Tuples

Unpacking pulls the items of a tuple straight into variables.

The basics

When you create a tuple, Python packs the values:

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

To unpack, assign the tuple to matching variables:

(green, yellow, red) = fruits
print(green)   # apple
print(yellow)  # banana
print(red)     # cherry

Asterisk * for extra items

If the number of variables doesn't match, use * to catch extras as a list:

fruits = ("apple", "banana", "cherry", "mango")
(green, yellow, *rest) = fruits
print(green)   # apple
print(yellow)  # banana
print(rest)    # ['cherry', 'mango']

The asterisk can be anywhere

(green, *rest, red) = fruits
print(green)   # apple
print(rest)    # ['banana', 'cherry']
print(red)     # mango

Unpacking works on lists too

The same trick applies to lists and any iterable.

TL;DR

• (a, b, c) = tuple unpacks into variables.
• Use * to collect leftover items into a list.
• The star can sit anywhere in the list of targets.
• Lists unpack the same way.