How to Use rsplit() with Multiple Delimiters in Python

Learn how to split strings in Python using multiple delimiters like `+`, `-`, and `/` with regex for better string handling.
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How to Use rsplit() with Multiple Delimiters in Python

When working with strings in Python, you may often need to split them based on certain characters or delimiters. While the rsplit() method comes handy for splitting strings from the right side based on a single delimiter, what if you need to split by multiple delimiters? Let’s dive into the problem and learn a simple solution using regular expressions.

The Problem

Consider the following example where you want to extract the rightmost segment of a string. For instance:

However, what if your string could contain several different delimiters, such as +, -, or /? You might want to retrieve the number after the last occurrence of any of these symbols. For example:

For the string 12+345 - 32, the desired output is 32.

For the string 12+345 / 32, the desired output is again 32.

The Challenge

The challenge here is that rsplit() doesn’t naturally support multiple delimiters. So, how can you achieve this functionality?

The Solution: Using Regular Expressions

Step-by-Step Guide

Import the re Module:
Make sure to import the module at the beginning of your script.

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Here’s the code:

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Example Implementation:
Putting it all together, your complete code might look like this:

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Key Points

Regex Basics: The brackets [] in a regex define a character class, meaning it will match any single character inside them. Therefore, [+-/] matches any +, -, or / in the string.

-1 Indexing: The [-1] simply retrieves the last element from the resulting list after splitting, which corresponds to the part of the string after the last delimiter.

Conclusion

Now you can confidently retrieve the rightmost segments of your strings, no matter how many delimiters are involved. Happy coding!