1

I have a dataframe with a column Fib, I am trying to grab a substring from it:

Could anyone please tell me why this code does not work:

df['new'] = df['Fib'].apply(lambda x:x.str[2:10])

AttributeError: 'str' object has no attribute 'str'

But if i do this, it will work:

df['new_col'] = df['Fib'].astype(str).str[2:10]

I am trying to solve the above problem with apply+lambda just to get some experience with it. Thank you

3
  • 5
    df['new'] = df['Fib'].apply(lambda x:x[2:10]) don't use str inside the lambda Commented Dec 31, 2018 at 9:21
  • 1
    My recommendation here would be to not use apply. Use slice instead Commented Dec 31, 2018 at 10:01
  • Using df['new'] = df['Fib'].apply(lambda x:x[2:10]) generated an error: df['new'] = df['Fib'].apply(lambda x:x[2:10]) Commented Dec 31, 2018 at 10:06

1 Answer 1

4

The problem in your code is that the lambda function you apply along the rows of your series will be receiving a string as it appears. Here's an example to illustrate this:

df = pd.DataFrame({'num':[1,4,2], 'alpha':['apple','orange','peach']})
df['alpha'].apply(lambda x:type(x))
<class 'str'>
<class 'str'>
<class 'str'>

Note that Series.str methods are only for Series, as clearly stated in the documentation:

Vectorized string functions for Series and Index

So for your example you should avoid using apply. Instead do:

df['alpha'].str[2:10]

0     ple
1    ange
2     ach
Name: alpha, dtype: object

If what you want is to use apply instead as you mention, you simply need lambda x: x[2:10] as you are directly slicing the string:

df['alpha'].apply(lambda x: x[2:10])
0     ple
1    ange
2     ach
Name: alpha, dtype: object
Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

Comments

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.