Purpose of tuple constructor in python

Question

I recently came across tuple() as a constructor in python, if there exists a difference between just using () and tuple(), What is it?

Nothing, really, just like there is little difference between `list()` and `[]`. — chepner, May 09 '20 at 22:21
`tuple` is the type itself, and like other container types, it can take an iterable as an argument to populate the new instance when called. — chepner, May 09 '20 at 22:22
Probably the only difference is when called with `tuple('abc')` — dawg, May 09 '20 at 22:28
Does this answer your question? [Tuple() vs () for Tuple Comprehension & Tuple Creation](/q/53896896/90527) — outis, Oct 09 '22 at 08:49

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered May 09 '20 at 22:27

tuple is a type.

>>> tuple
<class 'tuple'>

When you call the type, you can pass any kind of iterable to get back a non-empty tuple containing the elements of the iterable.

>>> tuple([1,2,3])
(1, 2, 3)
>>> tuple((1,2,3))
(1, 2, 3)
>>> tuple(i+1 for i in range(3))
(1, 2, 3)

If you don't pass an argument, you create an empty tuple.

>>> tuple()
()

() is a literal that evaluates to an empty tuple, just as if you had called the type with no argument.

>>> ()
()
>>> tuple() == ()
True

I'll just add here that usually you use `tuple()` when you already have some iterable and you want it as a tuple instead. — DragonBobZ, May 09 '20 at 22:37

dawg · Accepted Answer · 2020-05-10T14:17:51.783

3

Really the biggest difference between using the literal constructor of () and tuple() is the behavior with iterable vs noniterable arguments.

With the literal representation, you can make a tuple like so:

>>> (1,2)
(1, 2)

You can represent that same tuple without the ():

>>> 1,2
(1, 2)

And a single element tuple, use a trailing comma:

>>> 1,
(1,)
>>> 'abc',
('abc',)

With the tuple function, the single argument must be iterable, and that can surprise at times:

>>> tuple('abc')
('a', 'b', 'c')

For a single element tuple element, you would think you can use a trailing comma, but that still may surprise with the function:

>>> tuple('abc',)
('a', 'b', 'c')

So you have to do:

>>> tuple(('abc',))  # or tuple(['abc'])
('abc',)

edited May 10 '20 at 14:17

answered May 09 '20 at 22:36

dawg

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Ironically it's one less character to pass a list, `tuple(['abc'])` vs `tuple(('abc',))` – wjandrea May 09 '20 at 22:42
2

`()` isn't a constructor, literal notation isn't a constructor really – juanpa.arrivillaga May 09 '20 at 23:08

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered May 09 '20 at 22:34

It's most useful for converting iterables to tuples. For example say you have a list of lists that you want to convert to a set. Well, lists aren't hashable, but tuples are*, so you can use the constructor to cast them:

set(map(tuple, list_of_lists))

or

set(tuple(x) for x in list_of_lists)

* Assuming they contain only hashable elements

Purpose of tuple constructor in python

3 Answers3