What Makes an Object Subscriptable in Python?

Subscriptability in Python

In Python, an object is considered "subscriptable" if it implements the __getitem__() method. This means that the object can be accessed using square brackets ([]), allowing you to retrieve specific elements within it.

Types of Subscriptable Objects

Objects that fall under the category of "subscriptable" include those that function as containers:

• Strings: Sequences of characters that can be indexed individually using square brackets.
• Lists: Ordered collections of arbitrary objects that can be retrieved by their index.
• Tuples: Immutable sequences of objects that support indexing.
• Dictionaries: Mapping objects that store key-value pairs, accessible via the key using square brackets.

Understanding __getitem__()

The __getitem__() method is responsible for handling the indexing operation. For example, when you access a character in a string using square brackets (e.g., "string"[0]), the __getitem__() method of the string object is called to retrieve the character at the specified index.

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