Python repr() Function
The Python repr() function is used to obtain a string representation of an object.
This function is useful for debugging and logging purposes as it provides a detailed and clear representation of an object compared to the str() function. While str() is mainly used to create human-readable strings, repr() provides a string that, when passed to the eval() function, can recreate the original object.
Syntax
Following is the syntax of Python repr() function −
repr(x)
Parameters
This function takes an object 'x' as a parameter for which you want to obtain the string representation.
Return Value
This function returns a string that, when executed as Python code, would recreate the original object.
Example 1
In the following example, we are using the repr() function to obtain the string representation of the string object "Hello, World!" −
text = "Hello, World!"
representation = repr(text)
print('The string representation obtained is:',representation)
Output
Following is the output of the above code −
The string representation obtained is: 'Hello, World!'
Example 2
Here, we are using the repr() function to obtain the string representation of an integer object "42" −
number = 42
representation = repr(number)
print('The string representation obtained is:',representation)
Output
Output of the above code is as follows −
The string representation obtained is: 42
Example 3
In here, we are obtaining the string representation of the list "[1, 2, 3]". The output is a string that, when used in Python code, would recreate the original list −
my_list = [1, 2, 3]
representation = repr(my_list)
print('The string representation obtained is:',representation)
Output
The result obtained is as shown below −
The string representation obtained is: [1, 2, 3]
Example 4
In this case, the repr() function is used with a complex number "(2+3j)" −
complex_num = complex(2, 3)
representation = repr(complex_num)
print('The string representation obtained is:',representation)
Output
Following is the output of the above code −
The string representation obtained is: (2+3j)
Example 5
In this example, we define a custom class called "Point" with "x" and "y" attributes to represent coordinates. Additionally, we implement a "repr" method within the class to customize the string representation. Afterward, we create an instance of the class named "point_instance" with coordinates "(1, 2)". By using the repr() function, we obtain the formatted string "Point(1, 2)" representing the coordinates of the point −
class Point:
def __init__(self, x, y):
self.x = x
self.y = y
def __repr__(self):
return f'Point({self.x}, {self.y})'
point_instance = Point(1, 2)
representation = repr(point_instance)
print('The string representation obtained is:',representation)
Output
The result produced is as follows −
The string representation obtained is: Point(1, 2)
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