Python cheatsheet for Ruby devs
I cut my programming teeth at Le Wagon, where the bulk of coding time is spent on Ruby. I’ve also started in the Masters in Computer and Information Technology program at Penn, where the teaching languages are Python and Java. Naturally, it’s been a trip taking my Ruby cap off and putting a Python hat on. The Python hat isn’t too comfortable yet, but I’m sure it’ll break in as I get more Python under my fingers.
As I work more and more with Python, I’ve been putting together a mental cheatsheet for “translating” Ruby to Python, and it’s time for me to take the cheatsheet out of my brain and put it into writing. I know I’m not the only programmer who has moved from Ruby to Python, so I hope others will find this useful. (But hey, even if nobody else finds it useful, it’s helpful for me to put this in writing!)
Some basic stuff first
Integer and float division in Ruby:
5 / 2 #=> returns 2
5 / 2.0 #=> returns 2.5
Integer and float division in Python:
5 / 2 #=> returns 2.5
5 // 2 #=> returns 2
String interpolation in Ruby:
planet = 'world'
puts "Hello #{planet}!" #=> prints "Hello world!"
Formatted strings in Python:
planet = 'world'
print(f'Hello {planet}!') #=> prints "Hello world!"
String manipulation in Ruby and Python
Split a string into an array using a separator
Also known in PHP as explode(), still my favourite name for this operation.
Ruby:
'abracadabra'.split('a')
# returns ['', 'br', 'c', 'd', 'br']
Python:
'abracadabra'.split('a')
# returns ['', 'br', 'c', 'd', 'br', '']
Split a string on whitespace
Ruby:
'the quick brown fox'.split
# returns ['the', 'quick', 'brown', 'fox']
Python:
'the quick brown fox'.split()
# returns ['the', 'quick', 'brown', 'fox']
So far, so good.
Split a string using a regular expression
Ruby:
'a1b12c123d1234'.split(/\d+/)
# returns ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd']
You’ll probably be using Ruby’s built-in Regexp methods for complex operations involving regular expressions, but for splits on a simple regex, the String#split method works just fine.
In Python, regular expression operations require the re module:
import re
re.split(r'\d+', 'a1b12c123d1234')
# returns ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', '']
Join array/list elements into a string
Also known in PHP as implode(), still my favourite name for this operation.
Ruby:
['the', 'quick', 'brown', 'fox'].join(' ')
# returns 'the quick brown fox'
Python:
' '.join(['the', 'quick', 'brown', 'fox'])
# returns 'the quick brown fox'
🤯
In Ruby, join is a method called on an array taking a string as an argument. In Python, join is a method called on a string taking a list (array) as an argument.
Enumerable patterns and list comprehension
Quickly generate an array from a range
Ruby:
array = (1..5).to_a
# array = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The literal “translation” of this in Python is:
array = list(range(1, 6))
# array = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
However, to be a true Pythonista, you must use list comprehension wherever list comprehension can be used:
array = [i for i in range(1, 6)]
# array = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Apply the same operation to all elements of an array
Ruby:
array = (1..5).to_a
squares = array.map { |i| i**2 }
# squares = [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]
Again, you can do this using a combination of list() and map() in Python:
array = [i for i in range(1, 6)]
squares = list(map(lambda i: i**2, array))
# squares = [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]
Yuck. Instead, use list comprehension:
array = [i for i in range(1, 6)]
squares = [i**2 for i in array]
# squares = [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]
Iterate over an array/a list with indices
Ruby:
array = ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie']
array.each_with_index do |element, index|
puts "Index #{index}: #{element}"
end
# prints the following:
# Index 0: Alice
# Index 1: Bob
# Index 2: Charlie
Python:
list = ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie']
for (index, element) in enumerate(list):
print(f'Index {index}: {element}')
# prints the following:
# Index 0: Alice
# Index 1: Bob
# Index 2: Charlie
Iterate over a hash/a dictionary
Ruby:
hash = { 'Alice': 9, 'Bob': 11, 'Charlie': 14 }
hash.each { |key, value| puts "#{key}: #{value}" }
# prints the following:
# Alice: 9
# Bob: 11
# Charlie: 14
Python:
dict = { 'Alice': 9, 'Bob': 11, 'Charlie': 14 }
for key, value in dict.items():
print(f'{key}: {value}')
# prints the following:
# Alice: 9
# Bob: 11
# Charlie: 14
Let’s take a step back and see what happens if you iterate over dict instead of dict.items(). In that case, the for loop will iterate over the keys only :
dict = { 'Alice': 9, 'Bob': 11, 'Charlie': 14 }
for i in dict:
print(i)
# prints the following:
# Alice
# Bob
# Charlie
You can still access the values using the key, of course:
dict = { 'Alice': 9, 'Bob': 11, 'Charlie': 14 }
for i in dict:
print(f'{i}: {dict[i]}')
# prints the following:
# Alice: 9
# Bob: 11
# Charlie: 14
Iterating over a hash in Ruby, on the other hand, always returns an array of two elements per iteration, with the first element being the key and the second element being the value:
hash = { 'Alice': 9, 'Bob': 11, 'Charlie': 14 }
hash.each do |i|
pp i
puts "#{i[0]}: #{i[1]}"
end
# prints the following:
# [:Alice, 9]
# Alice: 9
# [:Bob, 11]
# Bob: 11
# [:Charlie, 14]
# Charlie: 14
With dict.items() in Python, what’s really happening is that dict.items() is returning a tuple of two elements per iteration, with the first element being the key and the second element being the value:
dict = { 'Alice': 9, 'Bob': 11, 'Charlie': 14 }
for i in dict.items():
print(i)
print(f'{i[0]}: {i[1]}')
# prints the following:
# ('Alice', 9)
# Alice: 9
# ('Bob', 11)
# Bob: 11
# ('Charlie', 14)
# Charlie: 14