Python Programming for Beginners: Python Variables

Variables are containers for storing data values.

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Creating Variables

Python has no command for declaring a variable.

A variable is created the moment you first assign a value to it.

Example

x = 5
y = "John"
print(x)
print(y)

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Variables do not need to be declared with any particular type, and can even change type after they have been set.

Example

x = 4       # x is of type int
x = "Sally" # x is now of type str
print(x)

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Casting

If you want to specify the data type of a variable, this can be done with casting.

Example

x = str(3)    # x will be '3'
y = int(3)    # y will be 3
z = float(3)  # z will be 3.0

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Copy and Click on the "Try it Yourself" button to see how it works.

Get the Type

You can get the data type of a variable with the type() function.

Example

x = 5
y = "John"
print(type(x))
print(type(y))

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Single or Double Quotes?

String variables can be declared either by using single or double quotes:

Example

x = "John"
# is the same as
x = 'John'

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Case-Sensitive

Variable names are case-sensitive.

Example

a = 4
A = "Sally" #A will not overwrite a

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