Replace multiple characters in a string

Question

Is there a simple way in python to replace multiples characters by another?

For instance, I would like to change:

name1_22:3-3(+):Pos_bos

to

name1_22_3-3_+__Pos_bos

So basically replace all "(",")",":" with "_".

I only know to do it with:

str.replace(":","_")
str.replace(")","_")
str.replace("(","_")

yatu · Accepted Answer · 2019-03-21 12:50:33Z

9

You could use re.sub to replace multiple characters with one pattern:

import re
s = 'name1_22:3-3(+):Pos_bos '
re.sub(r'[():]', '_', s)

Output

'name1_22_3-3_+__Pos_bos '

edited Mar 21, 2019 at 12:50

answered Mar 21, 2019 at 12:40

yatu

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Comments

chepner · Accepted Answer · 2019-03-21 12:54:54Z

6

Use a translation table. In Python 2, maketrans is defined in the string module.

>>> import string
>>> table = string.maketrans("():", "___")

In Python 3, it is a str class method.

>>> table = str.maketrans("():", "___")

In both, the table is passed as the argument to str.translate.

>>> 'name1_22:3-3(+):Pos_bos'.translate(table)
'name1_22_3-3_+__Pos_bos'

In Python 3, you can also pass a single dict mapping input characters to output characters to maketrans:

table = str.maketrans({"(": "_", ")": "_", ":": "_"})

edited Mar 21, 2019 at 12:54

answered Mar 21, 2019 at 12:48

chepner

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Comments

DirtyBit · Accepted Answer · 2019-03-21 13:10:23Z

3

Sticking to your current approach of using replace():

s =  "name1_22:3-3(+):Pos_bos"
for e in ((":", "_"), ("(", "_"), (")", "__")):
    s = s.replace(*e)
print(s)

OUTPUT:

name1_22_3-3_+___Pos_bos

EDIT: (for readability)

s =  "name1_22:3-3(+):Pos_bos"
replaceList =  [(":", "_"), ("(", "_"), (")", "__")]

for elem in replaceList:
    print(*elem)          # : _, ( _, ) __  (for each iteration)
    s = s.replace(*elem)
print(s)

OR

repList = [':','(',')']   # list of all the chars to replace
rChar = '_'               # the char to replace with
for elem in repList:
    s = s.replace(elem, rChar)
print(s)

edited Mar 21, 2019 at 13:10

answered Mar 21, 2019 at 12:49

DirtyBit

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Comments

Daweo · Accepted Answer · 2019-03-21 13:22:24Z

2

Another possibility is usage of so-called list comprehension combined with so-called ternary conditional operator following way:

text = 'name1_22:3-3(+):Pos_bos '
out = ''.join(['_' if i in ':)(' else i for i in text])
print(out) #name1_22_3-3_+__Pos_bos

As it gives list, I use ''.join to change list of characters (strs of length 1) into str.

edited Mar 21, 2019 at 13:22

answered Mar 21, 2019 at 13:14

Daweo

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