How Can I Easily Pad a Python String with Spaces?

Filling a Python String with Spaces

When working with strings in Python, it can be useful to add spaces to them for alignment or formatting purposes. While padding with zeros is straightforward using the % operator, achieving the same effect with spaces requires a different approach.

The Shortest Solution

To fill a string with spaces in Python, you can use the str.ljust(width[, fillchar]) method. This method returns a new string that is left-justified within a string of a specified width, using the optional fillchar (which defaults to a space) for padding.

For example, to add spaces to the left of the string 'hi' to create a 10-character-wide string, you can use the following code:

hi.ljust(10)

This will output the string 'hi ' with eight spaces added to the left of the original string.

Advantages of Using ljust()

The str.ljust() method offers several advantages over other approaches:

• It is a concise and easy-to-remember method.
• It handles the alignment and padding automatically, eliminating the need for manual calculations.
• It supports an optional fillchar, allowing you to customize the padding character used.
• It returns a new string, leaving the original string unchanged.

Example Usage

Here are some additional examples of using str.ljust() to fill strings with spaces:

# Center a string within a 20-character-wide string
"Hello".ljust(20, ".")

# Truncate a string to a maximum width of 10 characters
"Lorem ipsum".ljust(10, ".")

# Use spaces as the fill character to right-justify a string
"Goodbye".ljust(15)

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