re.split() method in Python is generally used to split a string by a specified pattern. Its working is similar to the standard split() function but adds more functionality. Let’s start with a simple example of re.split() method:
Python
import re
s = "Geeks,for,Geeks"
# Using re.split() to split the string
result = re.split(r',', s)
print(result)
Output['Geeks', 'for', 'Geeks']
Syntax of re.split() method
re.split(pattern, string, maxsplit=0, flags=0)
Parameters:
- pattern (required): This regular expression pattern that defines where the string should be split.
- string (required): This input string to be split based on the given pattern.
- maxsplit (optional, default is 0): This maximum number of splits to perform;
0 means no limit.
Return Type: This re.split() method returns a list of strings.
Examples of python regex split() function
Splitting a String by Comma in Python
re.split() function from the re module is used when you need more flexibility, such as handling multiple spaces or other delimiters.
Python
import re
s = "Geeks for Geeks"
# Regular expression to match one or more non-word characters
pattern = r'\W+'
# Split the string using the pattern
words = re.split(pattern, s)
print(words)
Output['Geeks', 'for', 'Geeks']
Explanation:
- This regex \W+ splits the string at non-word characters.
- Since there are none in the sentence, it returns a list of words.
Splitting Strings with a Maximum Number of Splits
We can use re.split() from the re module to split a string with a regular expression and specify a maximum number of splits using the maxsplit parameter.
Python
import re
s = "Geeks for Geeks"
#Using re.split() to split the string by spaces with a maximum of 2 splits
result = re.split(r' ', s, maxsplit=2)
print(result)
Output['Geeks', 'for', 'Geeks']
Explanation:
- This splits the string s at spaces, limiting the splits to a maximum of 2.
Splitting a String with Capturing Groups
This splits the string at the specified delimiters (comma and semicolon), but because of the capturing group, the delimiters themselves are retained in the output list.
Python
import re
s = "Geeks, for; Geeks"
# Using split() with a capturing group to keep the delimiters
result = re.split(r'(,|;)', s)
print(result)
Output['Geeks', ',', ' for', ';', ' Geeks']
