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Q&A Why are commas not needed for modulo string formatting when printing?

The modulo operator is a binary (2 argument) operator which returns a single value, and can be used for both numeric calculations and strings: x = 5 % 2 print(x) # prints "1" y = "hello %s" % ...

posted 1y ago by deleted user  ·  edited 1y ago by MattDMo‭

Answer
#3: Post edited by user avatar MattDMo‭ · 2023-06-28T19:00:06Z (over 1 year ago)
added link to f-strings in docs
  • The modulo operator is a binary (2 argument) operator which returns a single value, and can be used for both numeric calculations and strings:
  • x = 5 % 2
  • print(x) # prints "1"
  • y = "hello %s" % 3
  • print(y) # prints "hello 3"
  • When you use a modulo operator for string substitution, you are creating a single string as the result. In your example, you then pass this created string directly to `print()` as a single argument. There is no need for a comma because commas are used to separate arguments, and you have only a single argument: the *result* of the string substitution. The substitution is not being performed by `print()`, but by the modulo operator itself, as you can see if you construct the string in an interactive Python session without ever calling `print()`:
  • >>> animal = "giraffe"
  • >>> age = 25
  • >>> "A %s can live up to %d years" %(animal,age)
  • 'A giraffe can live up to 25 years'
  • To put it another way, you don't put a comma before the modulo operator for the same reason you don't put a comma before the plus operator (or any other kind of 2-argument operator):
  • print(2 + 2) # single argument to print() with the value 4
  • ## String formatting
  • Although it doesn't directly relate to your specific question, be aware that using the modulo operator for string formatting is no longer recommended for new Python code.
  • You should either use the `format()` method:
  • print("A {} can live up to {} years".format(animal, age))
  • or in Python 3.6 or above, the even more readable f-strings:
  • print(f"A {animal} can live up to {age} years")
  • The modulo operator is a binary (2 argument) operator which returns a single value, and can be used for both numeric calculations and strings:
  • x = 5 % 2
  • print(x) # prints "1"
  • y = "hello %s" % 3
  • print(y) # prints "hello 3"
  • When you use a modulo operator for string substitution, you are creating a single string as the result. In your example, you then pass this created string directly to `print()` as a single argument. There is no need for a comma because commas are used to separate arguments, and you have only a single argument: the *result* of the string substitution. The substitution is not being performed by `print()`, but by the modulo operator itself, as you can see if you construct the string in an interactive Python session without ever calling `print()`:
  • >>> animal = "giraffe"
  • >>> age = 25
  • >>> "A %s can live up to %d years" %(animal,age)
  • 'A giraffe can live up to 25 years'
  • To put it another way, you don't put a comma before the modulo operator for the same reason you don't put a comma before the plus operator (or any other kind of 2-argument operator):
  • print(2 + 2) # single argument to print() with the value 4
  • ## String formatting
  • Although it doesn't directly relate to your specific question, be aware that using the modulo operator for string formatting is no longer recommended for new Python code.
  • You should either use the `format()` method:
  • print("A {} can live up to {} years".format(animal, age))
  • or in Python 3.6 or above, the even more readable [f-strings](https://docs.python.org/3/reference/lexical_analysis.html#f-strings):
  • print(f"A {animal} can live up to {age} years")
#2: Post edited by (deleted user) · 2023-03-06T09:52:55Z (over 1 year ago)
Add more info about new string formatting approaches
  • The modulo operator is a binary (2 argument) operator which returns a single value, and can be used for both numeric calculations and strings:
  • x = 5 % 2
  • print(x) # prints "1"
  • y = "hello %s" % 3
  • print(y) # prints "hello 3"
  • When you use a modulo operator for string substitution, you are creating a single string as the result. In your example, you then pass this created string directly to `print()` as a single argument. There is no need for a comma because commas are used to separate arguments, and you have only a single argument: the *result* of the string substitution. The substitution is not being performed by `print()`, but by the modulo operator itself, as you can see if you construct the string in an interactive Python session without ever calling `print()`:
  • >>> animal = "giraffe"
  • >>> age = 25
  • >>> "A %s can live up to %d years" %(animal,age)
  • 'A giraffe can live up to 25 years'
  • To put it another way, you don't put a comma before the modulo operator for the same reason you don't put a comma before the plus operator (or any other kind of 2-argument operator):
  • print(2 + 2) # single argument to print() with the value 4
  • The modulo operator is a binary (2 argument) operator which returns a single value, and can be used for both numeric calculations and strings:
  • x = 5 % 2
  • print(x) # prints "1"
  • y = "hello %s" % 3
  • print(y) # prints "hello 3"
  • When you use a modulo operator for string substitution, you are creating a single string as the result. In your example, you then pass this created string directly to `print()` as a single argument. There is no need for a comma because commas are used to separate arguments, and you have only a single argument: the *result* of the string substitution. The substitution is not being performed by `print()`, but by the modulo operator itself, as you can see if you construct the string in an interactive Python session without ever calling `print()`:
  • >>> animal = "giraffe"
  • >>> age = 25
  • >>> "A %s can live up to %d years" %(animal,age)
  • 'A giraffe can live up to 25 years'
  • To put it another way, you don't put a comma before the modulo operator for the same reason you don't put a comma before the plus operator (or any other kind of 2-argument operator):
  • print(2 + 2) # single argument to print() with the value 4
  • ## String formatting
  • Although it doesn't directly relate to your specific question, be aware that using the modulo operator for string formatting is no longer recommended for new Python code.
  • You should either use the `format()` method:
  • print("A {} can live up to {} years".format(animal, age))
  • or in Python 3.6 or above, the even more readable f-strings:
  • print(f"A {animal} can live up to {age} years")
#1: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2023-02-27T16:16:45Z (over 1 year ago)
The modulo operator is a binary (2 argument) operator which returns a single value, and can be used for both numeric calculations and strings:

    x = 5 % 2
    print(x) # prints "1"

    y = "hello %s" % 3
    print(y) # prints "hello 3"

When you use a modulo operator for string substitution, you are creating a single string as the result. In your example, you then pass this created string directly to `print()` as a single argument. There is no need for a comma because commas are used to separate arguments, and you have only a single argument: the *result* of the string substitution. The substitution is not being performed by `print()`, but by the modulo operator itself, as you can see if you construct the string in an interactive Python session without ever calling `print()`:

    >>> animal = "giraffe"
    >>> age = 25
    >>> "A %s can live up to %d years" %(animal,age)
    'A giraffe can live up to 25 years'

To put it another way, you don't put a comma before the modulo operator for the same reason you don't put a comma before the plus operator (or any other kind of 2-argument operator):

    print(2 + 2) # single argument to print() with the value 4