[a,b,c,d] = 1,2,3,4

[Jean-Michel Pichavant]

----- Original Message -----
> From: "ast" <nomail at invalid.com>
> To: python-list at python.org
> Sent: Tuesday, 25 August, 2015 4:16:17 PM
> Subject: [a,b,c,d] = 1,2,3,4
> 
> >>> [a,b,c,d] = 1,2,3,4
> >>> a
> 1
> >>> b
> 2
> >>> c
> 3
> >>> d
> 4
> 
> I have never seen this syntax before. Is it documented.
> Is there a name for that ?
> 
> thx

You probably have already seen something like:

a,b,c,d = 1,2,3,4

which is the same code than yours with the list replaced by a tuple.

Moreover:
https://docs.python.org/2/tutorial/datastructures.html

"""
x, y, z = t
This is called, appropriately enough, sequence unpacking and works for any sequence on the right-hand side. Sequence unpacking requires the list of variables on the left to have the same number of elements as the length of the sequence. Note that multiple assignment is really just a combination of tuple packing and sequence unpacking.
"""

It's slightly confusing because it mentions a "list of variable" and then a "tuple packing" while the example uses a tuple.
Fortunately, lists and tuples can be used in both cases.

JM


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