Using ord() and chr() Functions in Python

In Python, the ord() and chr() functions are used to work with ASCII and Unicode values. The ord() function converts a single character into its Unicode (or ASCII) integer representation, while the chr() function converts an integer back into its corresponding character.

1. ord() Function

The ord() function takes a single character (a string of length 1) and returns its Unicode code point (an integer). This is useful when you need to know the ASCII or Unicode value of a specific character.

Code Example for ord() Function

# Using ord() function to get the Unicode of a character
        char = 'A'
        unicode_value = ord(char)
        print("Unicode value of 'A':", unicode_value)

Output

Unicode value of 'A': 65

Explanation

The character 'A' has a Unicode value of 65. Using ord('A') returns 65.

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2. chr() Function

The chr() function takes an integer (Unicode code point) and returns the character that corresponds to that code point. This function is useful when you have an integer and want to know the character it represents.

Code Example for chr() Function

# Using chr() function to get the character for a Unicode value
        unicode_value = 97
        character = chr(unicode_value)
        print("Character for Unicode 97:", character)

Output

Character for Unicode 97: a

Explanation

The Unicode value 97 corresponds to the character 'a'. Using chr(97) returns 'a'.

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Examples of Using ord() and chr() Together

Example: Generating a Range of Alphabet Letters

You can use a combination of ord() and chr() to generate a list of alphabet letters.

Code Example

# Generating letters from 'A' to 'Z' using ord() and chr()
        alphabet = [chr(i) for i in range(ord('A'), ord('Z') + 1)]
        print("Alphabet letters:", alphabet)

Output

Alphabet letters: ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S', 'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z']

Explanation

In this example, ord('A') gives the starting integer value for 'A' (65), and ord('Z') provides the value for 'Z' (90). We use chr() to convert these Unicode values back to characters.

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Example: Checking if a Character is Uppercase or Lowercase

You can use ord() to check if a character is uppercase or lowercase based on its Unicode value.

Code Example

# Check if a character is uppercase or lowercase using ord()
        char = 'g'
        if ord('A') <= ord(char) <= ord('Z'):
            print(char, "is uppercase.")
        elif ord('a') <= ord(char) <= ord('z'):
            print(char, "is lowercase.")

Output

g is lowercase.

Explanation

In this example, the program checks if the Unicode value of char falls within the range of uppercase letters (A-Z) or lowercase letters (a-z).

Conclusion

The ord() and chr() functions are fundamental tools for converting between characters and their Unicode or ASCII values. They are particularly useful in scenarios where you need to manipulate characters at a low level, such as generating letter ranges, working with Unicode values, or verifying the case of letters.