Objected Oriented Programming
If a variable is a string, list, or tuple, then it is more than just a variable, it is something we call an object. This means that not only does the variable name hold a value or set of values, but also has associated methods. Methods are things that can be done to an object. For example, since lists are mutable objects, something can be added (appended) to a list with the append method.
temps = [45,67,34,55,72]
print("Original List")
print(temps)
temps.append(82)
print("Appended List")
print(temps)
Output:
Original List
[45,67,34,55,72]
Appended List
[45,67,34,55,72,82]
Depending on the object, there are different methods that are available. The table below outlines some methods associated with strings, lists, and tuples.
| List | Tuple | String |
|---|---|---|
| append | count | capitalize |
| clear | index | casefold |
| copy | center | |
| count | count | |
| extend | encode | |
| index | endswith | |
| insert | expandtabs | |
| pop | find | |
| remove | format | |
| reverse | format_map |
The method gets applied to the variable and comes after a period.
names = ['Kevin','Bart','Teresa','Adam','Craig']
print(names.count('David'))
names.append('David')
print(names)
print(names.count('David'))
In the above example, two list methods are used on the variable names. The method is attached to the variable with the period. The output of the above code yields,
0
['Kevin', 'Bart', 'Teresa', 'Adam', 'Craig', 'David']
1
For more information about methods in base Python, please refer to this link.
Python Docs for String Methods
Python Docs for List Methods