Converting Strings to ASCII Values in Python

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Summary: Learn how to convert strings to ASCII values in Python using built-in functions and methods. Explore the process step by step with examples to understand the concept better.
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When working with text data in Python, it's often useful to convert strings to ASCII values. ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character encoding standard that represents text characters as numerical values. In Python, you can easily convert strings to ASCII values using built-in functions and methods. Let's explore how to do this step by step.

Using the ord() Function

The ord() function in Python returns the ASCII value of a single character. Here's how you can use it to convert a string to ASCII values:

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In this example, each character in the string "Hello, World!" is converted to its corresponding ASCII value using a list comprehension.

Using a Loop

Alternatively, you can use a loop to iterate over each character in the string and convert it to its ASCII value:

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This achieves the same result as the list comprehension approach but using a loop instead.

Handling Non-ASCII Characters

It's important to note that the ord() function only works for ASCII characters. If you try to convert a non-ASCII character (e.g., characters from other languages or special symbols), you may encounter an error. In such cases, you might need to use other encoding methods such as Unicode.

Example: Converting a Single Character

Here's a simple example demonstrating how to convert a single character to its ASCII value:

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This will output:

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Conclusion

Converting strings to ASCII values in Python is straightforward, thanks to the ord() function. Whether you use list comprehensions or loops, you can easily obtain the ASCII values of characters in a string. Just remember to handle non-ASCII characters appropriately based on your specific use case.

By understanding how to convert strings to ASCII values, you gain a valuable tool for working with text data in Python, enabling various text processing and manipulation tasks.