Comprehensions & generators
List/dict/set comprehensions, generator expressions, and lazy iteration.
Build a Generator Pipeline in Python: Filter Then Map
Create a lazy data pipeline by chaining generator functions that read, filter, map, and write data step by step.
def read_data():
return ["a", "bb", "ccc", "dd", "eeeee", "f"]
def filter_short(words):
return (word for word in words if len(word) >= 2)
def map_to_upper(words):
return (word.upper() for word in words)
def write_data(words):
for word in words:
print(word)
if __name__ == "__main__":
…
Drop n items then yield rest generator
A generator that skips the first n items of an iterable and then yields the remaining items one by one.
def drop(n, items):
"""Yield every item except the first n from items."""
it = iter(items)
for _ in range(n):
next(it, None) # skip first n items
yield from it
if __name__ == "__main__":
numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]
result = list(drop(2, numbers))
print(result)
How to Compress a Generator with a Boolean Mask in Python
Filters items from a generator based on a parallel boolean mask, yielding only the items where the mask is True.
def compress(generator, mask):
for item, keep in zip(generator, mask):
if keep:
yield item
if __name__ == "__main__":
data = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
mask = [True, False, True, False, True]
result = list(compress(iter(data), mask))
print(result)
How to Create a Pairwise Generator with zip and tee in Python
Build a memory-efficient generator that yields successive overlapping pairs from any iterable using zip and tee.
from itertools import tee
def pairwise(iterable):
"""Yield successive overlapping pairs from iterable."""
a, b = tee(iterable)
next(b, None)
return zip(a, b)
if __name__ == "__main__":
values = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(list(pairwise(values)))
print(list(pairwise("hello")))
How to Generate Cartesian Product Combinations in Python
Use itertools.product to generate every combination across multiple iterables, a pattern common for product variant generation.
from itertools import product
def generate_cartesian_combinations(*iterables):
"""Generate all Cartesian product combinations of given iterables."""
return list(product(*iterables))
if __name__ == "__main__":
colors = ["red", "green", "blue"]
sizes = ["S", "M", "L"]
styles = ["t-shirt", "hoodie"]…
How to Merge Multiple Iterables with a Generator in Python
This code defines a generator function that 'chains' or merges multiple iterables into a single iterator, which is then converted to a list.
def chain(*iterables):
for iterable in iterables:
yield from iterable
def main():
list1 = [1, 2, 3]
tuple1 = (4, 5)
set1 = {6, 7}
string1 = "89"
result = list(chain(list1, tuple1, set1, string1))
print(result)
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
How to Repeat a Generator Cycle Single Value in Python
Build a generator that repeats a single value across multiple cycles, each cycle adding an extra repetition to mark its completion.
def repeat_with_cycle(value, cycle_limit, repetitions):
"""
Repeats a single value until reaching a cycle limit,
then yields the value one more time to demonstrate a full cycle.
Args:
value: The single value to repeat.
cycle_limit: Number of repetitions per cycle.
repetitio…
How to Use Comprehensions and Generators in Python
Demonstrate list, set, and dictionary comprehensions plus generator expressions and generator functions in one beginner-friendly script.
def demonstrate_comprehensions_generators():
# List comprehension: transform and filter in one line
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
squares = [num ** 2 for num in numbers if num % 2 == 0]
print(f"Square of even numbers (list comprehension): {squares}")
# Set comprehension: unique values
…
How to skip items until a condition is met in Python
Use itertools.dropwhile to skip leading elements while a predicate returns true, then yield the rest of the sequence unchanged.
def is_negative(x):
return x < 0
numbers = [-3, -1, 0, 5, 2, -8, 7]
result = list(itertools.dropwhile(is_negative, numbers))
print(f"Original: {numbers}")
print(f"After dropwhile: {result}")
Merge Sorted Iterators with a Heap Generator in Python
Merge multiple sorted iterators into a single sorted stream using a heap and generator, yielding values lazily in order.
import heapq
def merge_sorted_iterators(*iterators):
heap = []
for idx, iterator in enumerate(iterators):
try:
value = next(iterator)
heapq.heappush(heap, (value, idx, iterator))
except StopIteration:
continue
while heap:
value, idx, iterator = …
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Comprehensions & generators — Python code examples
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