Tuple Unpacking¶

Zero-dependency Python snippets for unpacking tuples using the standard library.

6 snippets available in this sub-category.

Simple¶

Basic tuple unpacking¶

tuple unpacking assignment data-structures

Assign tuple elements to variables

tup = (10, 20)
x, y = tup
print(x)  # 10
print(y)  # 20

Notes

Number of variables must match tuple length

Unpacking in for loops¶

tuple unpacking loop iteration data-structures

Unpack tuple elements directly in loops

pairs = [(1, "a"), (2, "b"), (3, "c")]
for num, char in pairs:
    print(num, char)
# 1 a
# 2 b
# 3 c

Notes

Works with any iterable of tuples

Complex¶

Extended unpacking (Python 3+)¶

tuple extended-unpacking star ignore data-structures

Use * to capture multiple elements, ignore with _

tup = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
first, *middle, last = tup
print(first)  # 1
print(middle)  # [2, 3, 4]
print(last)  # 5

# Ignore values with _
x, _, z = (10, 99, 30)
print(x, z)  # 10 30

Notes

- can be used in any position except the first or last
_ is a common convention for unused values

Swapping variables with tuple unpacking¶

tuple swap unpacking data-structures

Swap variables without a temporary variable

a, b = 1, 2
a, b = b, a
print(a, b)  # 2 1

Notes

Pythonic way to swap values

Nested tuple unpacking¶

tuple nested unpacking data-structures

Unpack nested tuples in a single statement

nested = (1, (2, 3))
a, (b, c) = nested
print(a)  # 1
print(b)  # 2
print(c)  # 3

Notes

Structure of variables must match tuple nesting

Unpacking with * in function arguments¶

tuple unpacking function arguments data-structures

Use * to unpack tuple into function arguments

def add(x, y, z):
    return x + y + z


args = (1, 2, 3)
result = add(*args)
print(result)  # 6

Notes

*args unpacks tuple elements as positional arguments

🔗 Cross Reference¶

Reference: See 📂 Create and Use Tuples
Reference: See 📂 Named Tuple Usage

🏷️ Tags¶

tuple, unpacking, extended-unpacking, swap, nested, function-args, data-structures

📝 Notes¶

Tuple unpacking is a powerful and Pythonic feature
Use * for flexible unpacking and function calls