Python chr() Function

The chr() function in Python is used to return a string representing a character whose Unicode code point is the integer passed as an argument. This function is particularly useful when working with Unicode and ASCII values, allowing you to convert numeric code points to their corresponding characters.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. chr() Function Syntax
3. Understanding chr()
4. Examples
   • Basic Usage with ASCII Values
   • Using Unicode Code Points
5. Real-World Use Case
6. Conclusion

Introduction

The chr() function allows you to convert an integer representing a Unicode code point to its corresponding character. This is useful in various scenarios, such as generating characters from their numeric codes, working with character encodings, and handling ASCII values.

chr() Function Syntax

The syntax for the chr() function is as follows:

chr(i)

Parameters:

• i: An integer representing a Unicode code point. It must be in the range from 0 to 1,114,111 (inclusive).

Returns:

• A string representing the character corresponding to the Unicode code point.

Raises:

• ValueError: If the integer is outside the valid range.

Understanding chr()

The chr() function takes an integer representing a Unicode code point and returns the corresponding character. The Unicode standard defines a unique code point for every character in almost every human language, as well as many symbols and control characters.

Examples

Basic Usage with ASCII Values

To demonstrate the basic usage of chr(), we will convert some ASCII values to their corresponding characters.

Example

print("Character for ASCII 65:", chr(65))  # 'A'
print("Character for ASCII 97:", chr(97))  # 'a'
print("Character for ASCII 48:", chr(48))  # '0'

Output:

Character for ASCII 65: A
Character for ASCII 97: a
Character for ASCII 48: 0

Using Unicode Code Points

This example shows how to use the chr() function with Unicode code points to get characters beyond the ASCII range.

Example

print("Character for Unicode 8364:", chr(8364))
print("Character for Unicode 9786:", chr(9786))
print("Character for Unicode 128512:", chr(128512))

Output:

Character for Unicode 8364: €
Character for Unicode 9786: ☺
Character for Unicode 128512: 😀

Real-World Use Case

Generating Characters from Code Points

In real-world applications, the chr() function can be used to generate characters from their numeric code points. This is useful for creating strings dynamically or handling character encodings.

Example

def generate_alphabet():
    return ''.join(chr(i) for i in range(65, 91))

print("Generated alphabet:", generate_alphabet())

Output:

Generated alphabet: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Working with Unicode Data

Another real-world use case is handling Unicode data, such as converting numeric codes from a data source to their corresponding characters.

Example

unicode_codes = [8364, 169, 174, 8482]
characters = ''.join(chr(code) for code in unicode_codes)
print("Converted characters:", characters)

Output:

Converted characters: €©®™

Conclusion

The chr() function in Python is useful for converting integers representing Unicode code points to their corresponding characters. By using this function, you can easily handle character encodings, generate characters dynamically, and work with ASCII and Unicode values in your Python applications.