Tuple Packing

Definition#

In Python, a tuple is a sequence of immutable Python objects. Tuple packing refers to the process of assembling several values into a tuple, which essentially “packs” the values into a single structure. This feature provides a way to aggregate various types of data into a compact form which can be very handy in data collection or manipulation.

Creating a Packed Tuple#

Tuple packing is the automatic creation of a tuple from comma-separated values. Once packed into a tuple, the individual elements cannot be changed (immutability), but the entire tuple can be used as a single entity or value.

Here is a simple example of creating a packed tuple:

1# Define a tuple using tuple packing
2packed_tuple = ('Python', 3.8, 'Programming')
3
4# Print the packed tuple
5print(packed_tuple)

When you run this code, the output will be: ('Python', 3.8, 'Programming').

In the above example, the values ‘Python’, 3.8, and ‘Programming’ are packed into a single tuple named packed_tuple.

Tuple Packing in Functions#

Tuple packing can be very useful when working with functions. It provides a way to return multiple values from a function. Here’s an example:

 1def test_scores():
 2    math_score = 85
 3    english_score = 92
 4    science_score = 78
 5    return math_score, english_score, science_score
 6
 7packed_scores = test_scores()
 8
 9# Print the packed scores
10print(packed_scores)

When you run this code, the output will be: (85, 92, 78). In the above code, the function test_scores returns three values. These values are packed into a tuple packed_scores.

Tuple packing provides a compact and elegant way to aggregate different types of data, making it easier to return multiple values from a function or to create complex data structures. Understanding this concept is fundamental to efficient Python programming.