Introduction to Print Function
The print() function is one of the most frequently used built-in Python functions for displaying output to the screen. Imagine the print function like a loudspeaker that announces information to everyone. Every time you want to show calculation results, messages, or data to users, the print function becomes a communication bridge between the program and humans.
The print function belongs to the built-in function category, just like len(), abs(), and round(). This means you don't need to import additional modules to use it.
Basic Print Function Syntax
The complete print function syntax has several parameters that can be customized to control how output is displayed.
# Complete print function syntax# print(*objects, sep=' ', end='\n', file=sys.stdout, flush=False)# Basic usage exampleprint("Hello, World!")# Print with multiple objectsprint("Name:", "Ahmad", "Age:", 25)# Displaying calculation resultsx = 10y = 5print("Addition result", x, "+", y, "=", x + y)The *objects parameter allows the print function to accept unlimited number of arguments. Each argument will be separated by the character specified by the sep parameter.
Separator Parameter (sep)
The sep parameter determines the character or string used to separate multiple objects in a single print call. The default value of sep is a single space.
# Examples of using sep parameterx = 8# Default separator (space)print("Solve", 2, "x =", x, "for x")# Custom separator with empty stringprint("Solve", 2, "x =", x, "for x", sep="")# Custom separator with dashprint("Solve", 2, "x =", x, "for x", sep="-")# Custom separator with comma and spaceprint("Ahmad", "Budi", "Citra", sep=", ")# Multiple separator charactersprint("Python", "Java", "JavaScript", sep=" | ")# Separator with special charactersprint("Data", "Science", "Machine", "Learning", sep="\t") # tabprint("First", "Line", "Second", "Line", sep="\n") # newlineUsing the right separator can make output more readable and match the desired format.
End Parameter
The end parameter determines the character or string added at the end of output. The default value of end is newline (\n), which causes each print call to create a new line.
# Examples of using end parameter# Default end (newline)print("First line")print("Second line")print() # Print empty line for separator# Custom end with empty stringprint("First word", end="")print("Second word")print() # Print empty line for separator# Custom end with spaceprint("Number:", end=" ")print(42)print() # Print empty line for separator# Custom end with special charactersprint("Loading", end="")for i in range(5): print(".", end="")print(" Done!")print() # Print empty line for separator# Combination of sep and endprint("A", "B", "C", sep="-", end=" | ")print("D", "E", "F", sep="-", end="\n")Changing the end parameter is very useful when you want to combine output from multiple print calls on one line or provide special formatting.
Displaying Various Data Types
The print function can display various Python data types automatically. Python will convert each object to its string representation before displaying it.
# Print various data typesinteger_num = 42decimal_num = 3.14159string_text = "Python Programming"boolean_value = Truelist_data = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]dict_data = {"name": "Ahmad", "age": 25}print("Integer:", integer_num)print("Float:", decimal_num)print("String:", string_text)print("Boolean:", boolean_value)print("List:", list_data)print("Dictionary:", dict_data)# Print with better formattingprint("\nBetter formatting:")print(f"Name: {dict_data['name']}")print(f"Age: {dict_data['age']} years")print(f"Pi: {decimal_num:.2f}")# Print multiple types in one lineprint("Result:", integer_num, "+", decimal_num, "=", integer_num + decimal_num)The ability of print to handle various data types makes it very flexible for debugging and displaying program information.
Output Formatting Techniques
Print with F-String
F-string is a modern and efficient way to format output in Python. This technique allows direct variable insertion within strings.
# Examples of formatting with f-stringname = "Sari"age = 23score = 87.5# Basic f-string formattingprint(f"Name: {name}")print(f"Age: {age} years")print(f"Score: {score}")# F-string with mathematical operationsx = 10y = 3print(f"{x} + {y} = {x + y}")print(f"{x} / {y} = {x / y:.2f}")# F-string with method callstext = "python programming"print(f"Original: {text}")print(f"Title case: {text.title()}")print(f"Length: {len(text)} characters")# F-string with conditionalscore = 85status = "Pass" if score >= 70 else "Fail"print(f"Score: {score}, Status: {status}")# F-string with number formattingpi = 3.14159265359print(f"Pi with 2 decimals: {pi:.2f}")print(f"Pi with 4 decimals: {pi:.4f}")print(f"Pi as percentage: {pi:.1%}")F-string provides a very readable and efficient way to combine text with variables or calculation results.
Print Without Newline
When you want to display output on one line gradually, the end parameter can be changed to avoid automatic newlines.
# Examples of print without newlineimport time# Loading simulation with dotsprint("Processing", end="")for i in range(5): time.sleep(0.5) # Half second delay print(".", end="")print(" Done!")# Creating simple progress barprint("\nProgress: [", end="")for i in range(10): time.sleep(0.2) print("#", end="")print("] 100%")# Print counter in one lineprint("\nCountdown: ", end="")for i in range(5, 0, -1): print(i, end=" ") time.sleep(1)print("Start!")# Displaying data in table formatprint("\nData Table:")print("Name", "Age", "City", sep="\t")print("-" * 30)print("Ahmad", 25, "Jakarta", sep="\t")print("Budi", 30, "Bandung", sep="\t")print("Citra", 28, "Surabaya", sep="\t")This technique is very useful for creating interactive interfaces or displaying progress from time-consuming operations.