1618337460
Do these 10 things to maximize the performance, and user experience, of your new Laptop or Desktop PC.
⏰TIMESTAMPS⏰
#developer
1667425440
Perl script converts PDF files to Gerber format
Pdf2Gerb generates Gerber 274X photoplotting and Excellon drill files from PDFs of a PCB. Up to three PDFs are used: the top copper layer, the bottom copper layer (for 2-sided PCBs), and an optional silk screen layer. The PDFs can be created directly from any PDF drawing software, or a PDF print driver can be used to capture the Print output if the drawing software does not directly support output to PDF.
The general workflow is as follows:
Please note that Pdf2Gerb does NOT perform DRC (Design Rule Checks), as these will vary according to individual PCB manufacturer conventions and capabilities. Also note that Pdf2Gerb is not perfect, so the output files must always be checked before submitting them. As of version 1.6, Pdf2Gerb supports most PCB elements, such as round and square pads, round holes, traces, SMD pads, ground planes, no-fill areas, and panelization. However, because it interprets the graphical output of a Print function, there are limitations in what it can recognize (or there may be bugs).
See docs/Pdf2Gerb.pdf for install/setup, config, usage, and other info.
#Pdf2Gerb config settings:
#Put this file in same folder/directory as pdf2gerb.pl itself (global settings),
#or copy to another folder/directory with PDFs if you want PCB-specific settings.
#There is only one user of this file, so we don't need a custom package or namespace.
#NOTE: all constants defined in here will be added to main namespace.
#package pdf2gerb_cfg;
use strict; #trap undef vars (easier debug)
use warnings; #other useful info (easier debug)
##############################################################################################
#configurable settings:
#change values here instead of in main pfg2gerb.pl file
use constant WANT_COLORS => ($^O !~ m/Win/); #ANSI colors no worky on Windows? this must be set < first DebugPrint() call
#just a little warning; set realistic expectations:
#DebugPrint("${\(CYAN)}Pdf2Gerb.pl ${\(VERSION)}, $^O O/S\n${\(YELLOW)}${\(BOLD)}${\(ITALIC)}This is EXPERIMENTAL software. \nGerber files MAY CONTAIN ERRORS. Please CHECK them before fabrication!${\(RESET)}", 0); #if WANT_DEBUG
use constant METRIC => FALSE; #set to TRUE for metric units (only affect final numbers in output files, not internal arithmetic)
use constant APERTURE_LIMIT => 0; #34; #max #apertures to use; generate warnings if too many apertures are used (0 to not check)
use constant DRILL_FMT => '2.4'; #'2.3'; #'2.4' is the default for PCB fab; change to '2.3' for CNC
use constant WANT_DEBUG => 0; #10; #level of debug wanted; higher == more, lower == less, 0 == none
use constant GERBER_DEBUG => 0; #level of debug to include in Gerber file; DON'T USE FOR FABRICATION
use constant WANT_STREAMS => FALSE; #TRUE; #save decompressed streams to files (for debug)
use constant WANT_ALLINPUT => FALSE; #TRUE; #save entire input stream (for debug ONLY)
#DebugPrint(sprintf("${\(CYAN)}DEBUG: stdout %d, gerber %d, want streams? %d, all input? %d, O/S: $^O, Perl: $]${\(RESET)}\n", WANT_DEBUG, GERBER_DEBUG, WANT_STREAMS, WANT_ALLINPUT), 1);
#DebugPrint(sprintf("max int = %d, min int = %d\n", MAXINT, MININT), 1);
#define standard trace and pad sizes to reduce scaling or PDF rendering errors:
#This avoids weird aperture settings and replaces them with more standardized values.
#(I'm not sure how photoplotters handle strange sizes).
#Fewer choices here gives more accurate mapping in the final Gerber files.
#units are in inches
use constant TOOL_SIZES => #add more as desired
(
#round or square pads (> 0) and drills (< 0):
.010, -.001, #tiny pads for SMD; dummy drill size (too small for practical use, but needed so StandardTool will use this entry)
.031, -.014, #used for vias
.041, -.020, #smallest non-filled plated hole
.051, -.025,
.056, -.029, #useful for IC pins
.070, -.033,
.075, -.040, #heavier leads
# .090, -.043, #NOTE: 600 dpi is not high enough resolution to reliably distinguish between .043" and .046", so choose 1 of the 2 here
.100, -.046,
.115, -.052,
.130, -.061,
.140, -.067,
.150, -.079,
.175, -.088,
.190, -.093,
.200, -.100,
.220, -.110,
.160, -.125, #useful for mounting holes
#some additional pad sizes without holes (repeat a previous hole size if you just want the pad size):
.090, -.040, #want a .090 pad option, but use dummy hole size
.065, -.040, #.065 x .065 rect pad
.035, -.040, #.035 x .065 rect pad
#traces:
.001, #too thin for real traces; use only for board outlines
.006, #minimum real trace width; mainly used for text
.008, #mainly used for mid-sized text, not traces
.010, #minimum recommended trace width for low-current signals
.012,
.015, #moderate low-voltage current
.020, #heavier trace for power, ground (even if a lighter one is adequate)
.025,
.030, #heavy-current traces; be careful with these ones!
.040,
.050,
.060,
.080,
.100,
.120,
);
#Areas larger than the values below will be filled with parallel lines:
#This cuts down on the number of aperture sizes used.
#Set to 0 to always use an aperture or drill, regardless of size.
use constant { MAX_APERTURE => max((TOOL_SIZES)) + .004, MAX_DRILL => -min((TOOL_SIZES)) + .004 }; #max aperture and drill sizes (plus a little tolerance)
#DebugPrint(sprintf("using %d standard tool sizes: %s, max aper %.3f, max drill %.3f\n", scalar((TOOL_SIZES)), join(", ", (TOOL_SIZES)), MAX_APERTURE, MAX_DRILL), 1);
#NOTE: Compare the PDF to the original CAD file to check the accuracy of the PDF rendering and parsing!
#for example, the CAD software I used generated the following circles for holes:
#CAD hole size: parsed PDF diameter: error:
# .014 .016 +.002
# .020 .02267 +.00267
# .025 .026 +.001
# .029 .03167 +.00267
# .033 .036 +.003
# .040 .04267 +.00267
#This was usually ~ .002" - .003" too big compared to the hole as displayed in the CAD software.
#To compensate for PDF rendering errors (either during CAD Print function or PDF parsing logic), adjust the values below as needed.
#units are pixels; for example, a value of 2.4 at 600 dpi = .0004 inch, 2 at 600 dpi = .0033"
use constant
{
HOLE_ADJUST => -0.004 * 600, #-2.6, #holes seemed to be slightly oversized (by .002" - .004"), so shrink them a little
RNDPAD_ADJUST => -0.003 * 600, #-2, #-2.4, #round pads seemed to be slightly oversized, so shrink them a little
SQRPAD_ADJUST => +0.001 * 600, #+.5, #square pads are sometimes too small by .00067, so bump them up a little
RECTPAD_ADJUST => 0, #(pixels) rectangular pads seem to be okay? (not tested much)
TRACE_ADJUST => 0, #(pixels) traces seemed to be okay?
REDUCE_TOLERANCE => .001, #(inches) allow this much variation when reducing circles and rects
};
#Also, my CAD's Print function or the PDF print driver I used was a little off for circles, so define some additional adjustment values here:
#Values are added to X/Y coordinates; units are pixels; for example, a value of 1 at 600 dpi would be ~= .002 inch
use constant
{
CIRCLE_ADJUST_MINX => 0,
CIRCLE_ADJUST_MINY => -0.001 * 600, #-1, #circles were a little too high, so nudge them a little lower
CIRCLE_ADJUST_MAXX => +0.001 * 600, #+1, #circles were a little too far to the left, so nudge them a little to the right
CIRCLE_ADJUST_MAXY => 0,
SUBST_CIRCLE_CLIPRECT => FALSE, #generate circle and substitute for clip rects (to compensate for the way some CAD software draws circles)
WANT_CLIPRECT => TRUE, #FALSE, #AI doesn't need clip rect at all? should be on normally?
RECT_COMPLETION => FALSE, #TRUE, #fill in 4th side of rect when 3 sides found
};
#allow .012 clearance around pads for solder mask:
#This value effectively adjusts pad sizes in the TOOL_SIZES list above (only for solder mask layers).
use constant SOLDER_MARGIN => +.012; #units are inches
#line join/cap styles:
use constant
{
CAP_NONE => 0, #butt (none); line is exact length
CAP_ROUND => 1, #round cap/join; line overhangs by a semi-circle at either end
CAP_SQUARE => 2, #square cap/join; line overhangs by a half square on either end
CAP_OVERRIDE => FALSE, #cap style overrides drawing logic
};
#number of elements in each shape type:
use constant
{
RECT_SHAPELEN => 6, #x0, y0, x1, y1, count, "rect" (start, end corners)
LINE_SHAPELEN => 6, #x0, y0, x1, y1, count, "line" (line seg)
CURVE_SHAPELEN => 10, #xstart, ystart, x0, y0, x1, y1, xend, yend, count, "curve" (bezier 2 points)
CIRCLE_SHAPELEN => 5, #x, y, 5, count, "circle" (center + radius)
};
#const my %SHAPELEN =
#Readonly my %SHAPELEN =>
our %SHAPELEN =
(
rect => RECT_SHAPELEN,
line => LINE_SHAPELEN,
curve => CURVE_SHAPELEN,
circle => CIRCLE_SHAPELEN,
);
#panelization:
#This will repeat the entire body the number of times indicated along the X or Y axes (files grow accordingly).
#Display elements that overhang PCB boundary can be squashed or left as-is (typically text or other silk screen markings).
#Set "overhangs" TRUE to allow overhangs, FALSE to truncate them.
#xpad and ypad allow margins to be added around outer edge of panelized PCB.
use constant PANELIZE => {'x' => 1, 'y' => 1, 'xpad' => 0, 'ypad' => 0, 'overhangs' => TRUE}; #number of times to repeat in X and Y directions
# Set this to 1 if you need TurboCAD support.
#$turboCAD = FALSE; #is this still needed as an option?
#CIRCAD pad generation uses an appropriate aperture, then moves it (stroke) "a little" - we use this to find pads and distinguish them from PCB holes.
use constant PAD_STROKE => 0.3; #0.0005 * 600; #units are pixels
#convert very short traces to pads or holes:
use constant TRACE_MINLEN => .001; #units are inches
#use constant ALWAYS_XY => TRUE; #FALSE; #force XY even if X or Y doesn't change; NOTE: needs to be TRUE for all pads to show in FlatCAM and ViewPlot
use constant REMOVE_POLARITY => FALSE; #TRUE; #set to remove subtractive (negative) polarity; NOTE: must be FALSE for ground planes
#PDF uses "points", each point = 1/72 inch
#combined with a PDF scale factor of .12, this gives 600 dpi resolution (1/72 * .12 = 600 dpi)
use constant INCHES_PER_POINT => 1/72; #0.0138888889; #multiply point-size by this to get inches
# The precision used when computing a bezier curve. Higher numbers are more precise but slower (and generate larger files).
#$bezierPrecision = 100;
use constant BEZIER_PRECISION => 36; #100; #use const; reduced for faster rendering (mainly used for silk screen and thermal pads)
# Ground planes and silk screen or larger copper rectangles or circles are filled line-by-line using this resolution.
use constant FILL_WIDTH => .01; #fill at most 0.01 inch at a time
# The max number of characters to read into memory
use constant MAX_BYTES => 10 * M; #bumped up to 10 MB, use const
use constant DUP_DRILL1 => TRUE; #FALSE; #kludge: ViewPlot doesn't load drill files that are too small so duplicate first tool
my $runtime = time(); #Time::HiRes::gettimeofday(); #measure my execution time
print STDERR "Loaded config settings from '${\(__FILE__)}'.\n";
1; #last value must be truthful to indicate successful load
#############################################################################################
#junk/experiment:
#use Package::Constants;
#use Exporter qw(import); #https://perldoc.perl.org/Exporter.html
#my $caller = "pdf2gerb::";
#sub cfg
#{
# my $proto = shift;
# my $class = ref($proto) || $proto;
# my $settings =
# {
# $WANT_DEBUG => 990, #10; #level of debug wanted; higher == more, lower == less, 0 == none
# };
# bless($settings, $class);
# return $settings;
#}
#use constant HELLO => "hi there2"; #"main::HELLO" => "hi there";
#use constant GOODBYE => 14; #"main::GOODBYE" => 12;
#print STDERR "read cfg file\n";
#our @EXPORT_OK = Package::Constants->list(__PACKAGE__); #https://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=1072691; NOTE: "_OK" skips short/common names
#print STDERR scalar(@EXPORT_OK) . " consts exported:\n";
#foreach(@EXPORT_OK) { print STDERR "$_\n"; }
#my $val = main::thing("xyz");
#print STDERR "caller gave me $val\n";
#foreach my $arg (@ARGV) { print STDERR "arg $arg\n"; }
Author: swannman
Source Code: https://github.com/swannman/pdf2gerb
License: GPL-3.0 license
1620729846
Can you use WordPress for anything other than blogging? To your surprise, yes. WordPress is more than just a blogging tool, and it has helped thousands of websites and web applications to thrive. The use of WordPress powers around 40% of online projects, and today in our blog, we would visit some amazing uses of WordPress other than blogging.
What Is The Use Of WordPress?
WordPress is the most popular website platform in the world. It is the first choice of businesses that want to set a feature-rich and dynamic Content Management System. So, if you ask what WordPress is used for, the answer is – everything. It is a super-flexible, feature-rich and secure platform that offers everything to build unique websites and applications. Let’s start knowing them:
1. Multiple Websites Under A Single Installation
WordPress Multisite allows you to develop multiple sites from a single WordPress installation. You can download WordPress and start building websites you want to launch under a single server. Literally speaking, you can handle hundreds of sites from one single dashboard, which now needs applause.
It is a highly efficient platform that allows you to easily run several websites under the same login credentials. One of the best things about WordPress is the themes it has to offer. You can simply download them and plugin for various sites and save space on sites without losing their speed.
2. WordPress Social Network
WordPress can be used for high-end projects such as Social Media Network. If you don’t have the money and patience to hire a coder and invest months in building a feature-rich social media site, go for WordPress. It is one of the most amazing uses of WordPress. Its stunning CMS is unbeatable. And you can build sites as good as Facebook or Reddit etc. It can just make the process a lot easier.
To set up a social media network, you would have to download a WordPress Plugin called BuddyPress. It would allow you to connect a community page with ease and would provide all the necessary features of a community or social media. It has direct messaging, activity stream, user groups, extended profiles, and so much more. You just have to download and configure it.
If BuddyPress doesn’t meet all your needs, don’t give up on your dreams. You can try out WP Symposium or PeepSo. There are also several themes you can use to build a social network.
3. Create A Forum For Your Brand’s Community
Communities are very important for your business. They help you stay in constant connection with your users and consumers. And allow you to turn them into a loyal customer base. Meanwhile, there are many good technologies that can be used for building a community page – the good old WordPress is still the best.
It is the best community development technology. If you want to build your online community, you need to consider all the amazing features you get with WordPress. Plugins such as BB Press is an open-source, template-driven PHP/ MySQL forum software. It is very simple and doesn’t hamper the experience of the website.
Other tools such as wpFoRo and Asgaros Forum are equally good for creating a community blog. They are lightweight tools that are easy to manage and integrate with your WordPress site easily. However, there is only one tiny problem; you need to have some technical knowledge to build a WordPress Community blog page.
4. Shortcodes
Since we gave you a problem in the previous section, we would also give you a perfect solution for it. You might not know to code, but you have shortcodes. Shortcodes help you execute functions without having to code. It is an easy way to build an amazing website, add new features, customize plugins easily. They are short lines of code, and rather than memorizing multiple lines; you can have zero technical knowledge and start building a feature-rich website or application.
There are also plugins like Shortcoder, Shortcodes Ultimate, and the Basics available on WordPress that can be used, and you would not even have to remember the shortcodes.
5. Build Online Stores
If you still think about why to use WordPress, use it to build an online store. You can start selling your goods online and start selling. It is an affordable technology that helps you build a feature-rich eCommerce store with WordPress.
WooCommerce is an extension of WordPress and is one of the most used eCommerce solutions. WooCommerce holds a 28% share of the global market and is one of the best ways to set up an online store. It allows you to build user-friendly and professional online stores and has thousands of free and paid extensions. Moreover as an open-source platform, and you don’t have to pay for the license.
Apart from WooCommerce, there are Easy Digital Downloads, iThemes Exchange, Shopify eCommerce plugin, and so much more available.
6. Security Features
WordPress takes security very seriously. It offers tons of external solutions that help you in safeguarding your WordPress site. While there is no way to ensure 100% security, it provides regular updates with security patches and provides several plugins to help with backups, two-factor authorization, and more.
By choosing hosting providers like WP Engine, you can improve the security of the website. It helps in threat detection, manage patching and updates, and internal security audits for the customers, and so much more.
#use of wordpress #use wordpress for business website #use wordpress for website #what is use of wordpress #why use wordpress #why use wordpress to build a website
1598458776
With approximately 55% of computers using Windows 10 worldwide, it is definitely in everyone’s interests that we all learn how to use the newest version of Windows in the most efficient way possible!
Hence this list. I’ve put together my 10 favourite tricks to speed up how you use your Windows 10 computer.
#windows #windows-10
1663559281
Learn how to create a to-do list app with local storage using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Build a Todo list application with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Learn the basics to JavaScript along with some more advanced features such as LocalStorage for saving data to the browser.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<title>To Do List With Local Storage</title>
<!-- Font Awesome Icons -->
<link
rel="stylesheet"
href="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/6.2.0/css/all.min.css"
/>
<!-- Google Fonts -->
<link
href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@400;500&display=swap"
rel="stylesheet"
/>
<!-- Stylesheet -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
</head>
<body>
<div class="container">
<div id="new-task">
<input type="text" placeholder="Enter The Task Here..." />
<button id="push">Add</button>
</div>
<div id="tasks"></div>
</div>
<!-- Script -->
<script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
* {
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
box-sizing: border-box;
}
body {
background-color: #0b87ff;
}
.container {
width: 90%;
max-width: 34em;
position: absolute;
transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
top: 50%;
left: 50%;
}
#new-task {
position: relative;
background-color: #ffffff;
padding: 1.8em 1.25em;
border-radius: 0.3em;
box-shadow: 0 1.25em 1.8em rgba(1, 24, 48, 0.15);
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 9fr 3fr;
gap: 1em;
}
#new-task input {
font-family: "Poppins", sans-serif;
font-size: 1em;
border: none;
border-bottom: 2px solid #d1d3d4;
padding: 0.8em 0.5em;
color: #111111;
font-weight: 500;
}
#new-task input:focus {
outline: none;
border-color: #0b87ff;
}
#new-task button {
font-family: "Poppins", sans-serif;
font-weight: 500;
font-size: 1em;
background-color: #0b87ff;
color: #ffffff;
outline: none;
border: none;
border-radius: 0.3em;
cursor: pointer;
}
#tasks {
background-color: #ffffff;
position: relative;
padding: 1.8em 1.25em;
margin-top: 3.8em;
width: 100%;
box-shadow: 0 1.25em 1.8em rgba(1, 24, 48, 0.15);
border-radius: 0.6em;
}
.task {
background-color: #ffffff;
padding: 0.3em 0.6em;
margin-top: 0.6em;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
border-bottom: 2px solid #d1d3d4;
cursor: pointer;
}
.task span {
font-family: "Poppins", sans-serif;
font-size: 0.9em;
font-weight: 400;
}
.task button {
color: #ffffff;
padding: 0.8em 0;
width: 2.8em;
border-radius: 0.3em;
border: none;
outline: none;
cursor: pointer;
}
.delete {
background-color: #fb3b3b;
}
.edit {
background-color: #0b87ff;
margin-left: auto;
margin-right: 3em;
}
.completed {
text-decoration: line-through;
}
//Initial References
const newTaskInput = document.querySelector("#new-task input");
const tasksDiv = document.querySelector("#tasks");
let deleteTasks, editTasks, tasks;
let updateNote = "";
let count;
//Function on window load
window.onload = () => {
updateNote = "";
count = Object.keys(localStorage).length;
displayTasks();
};
//Function to Display The Tasks
const displayTasks = () => {
if (Object.keys(localStorage).length > 0) {
tasksDiv.style.display = "inline-block";
} else {
tasksDiv.style.display = "none";
}
//Clear the tasks
tasksDiv.innerHTML = "";
//Fetch All The Keys in local storage
let tasks = Object.keys(localStorage);
tasks = tasks.sort();
for (let key of tasks) {
let classValue = "";
//Get all values
let value = localStorage.getItem(key);
let taskInnerDiv = document.createElement("div");
taskInnerDiv.classList.add("task");
taskInnerDiv.setAttribute("id", key);
taskInnerDiv.innerHTML = `<span id="taskname">${key.split("_")[1]}</span>`;
//localstorage would store boolean as string so we parse it to boolean back
let editButton = document.createElement("button");
editButton.classList.add("edit");
editButton.innerHTML = `<i class="fa-solid fa-pen-to-square"></i>`;
if (!JSON.parse(value)) {
editButton.style.visibility = "visible";
} else {
editButton.style.visibility = "hidden";
taskInnerDiv.classList.add("completed");
}
taskInnerDiv.appendChild(editButton);
taskInnerDiv.innerHTML += `<button class="delete"><i class="fa-solid fa-trash"></i></button>`;
tasksDiv.appendChild(taskInnerDiv);
}
//tasks completed
tasks = document.querySelectorAll(".task");
tasks.forEach((element, index) => {
element.onclick = () => {
//local storage update
if (element.classList.contains("completed")) {
updateStorage(element.id.split("_")[0], element.innerText, false);
} else {
updateStorage(element.id.split("_")[0], element.innerText, true);
}
};
});
//Edit Tasks
editTasks = document.getElementsByClassName("edit");
Array.from(editTasks).forEach((element, index) => {
element.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
//Stop propogation to outer elements (if removed when we click delete eventually rhw click will move to parent)
e.stopPropagation();
//disable other edit buttons when one task is being edited
disableButtons(true);
//update input value and remove div
let parent = element.parentElement;
newTaskInput.value = parent.querySelector("#taskname").innerText;
//set updateNote to the task that is being edited
updateNote = parent.id;
//remove task
parent.remove();
});
});
//Delete Tasks
deleteTasks = document.getElementsByClassName("delete");
Array.from(deleteTasks).forEach((element, index) => {
element.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
e.stopPropagation();
//Delete from local storage and remove div
let parent = element.parentElement;
removeTask(parent.id);
parent.remove();
count -= 1;
});
});
};
//Disable Edit Button
const disableButtons = (bool) => {
let editButtons = document.getElementsByClassName("edit");
Array.from(editButtons).forEach((element) => {
element.disabled = bool;
});
};
//Remove Task from local storage
const removeTask = (taskValue) => {
localStorage.removeItem(taskValue);
displayTasks();
};
//Add tasks to local storage
const updateStorage = (index, taskValue, completed) => {
localStorage.setItem(`${index}_${taskValue}`, completed);
displayTasks();
};
//Function To Add New Task
document.querySelector("#push").addEventListener("click", () => {
//Enable the edit button
disableButtons(false);
if (newTaskInput.value.length == 0) {
alert("Please Enter A Task");
} else {
//Store locally and display from local storage
if (updateNote == "") {
//new task
updateStorage(count, newTaskInput.value, false);
} else {
//update task
let existingCount = updateNote.split("_")[0];
removeTask(updateNote);
updateStorage(existingCount, newTaskInput.value, false);
updateNote = "";
}
count += 1;
newTaskInput.value = "";
}
});
#html #css #javascript
1666082925
This tutorialvideo on 'Arrays in Python' will help you establish a strong hold on all the fundamentals in python programming language. Below are the topics covered in this video:
1:15 What is an array?
2:53 Is python list same as an array?
3:48 How to create arrays in python?
7:19 Accessing array elements
9:59 Basic array operations
- 10:33 Finding the length of an array
- 11:44 Adding Elements
- 15:06 Removing elements
- 18:32 Array concatenation
- 20:59 Slicing
- 23:26 Looping
Python Array Tutorial – Define, Index, Methods
In this article, you'll learn how to use Python arrays. You'll see how to define them and the different methods commonly used for performing operations on them.
The artcile covers arrays that you create by importing the array module
. We won't cover NumPy arrays here.
Let's get started!
Arrays are a fundamental data structure, and an important part of most programming languages. In Python, they are containers which are able to store more than one item at the same time.
Specifically, they are an ordered collection of elements with every value being of the same data type. That is the most important thing to remember about Python arrays - the fact that they can only hold a sequence of multiple items that are of the same type.
Lists are one of the most common data structures in Python, and a core part of the language.
Lists and arrays behave similarly.
Just like arrays, lists are an ordered sequence of elements.
They are also mutable and not fixed in size, which means they can grow and shrink throughout the life of the program. Items can be added and removed, making them very flexible to work with.
However, lists and arrays are not the same thing.
Lists store items that are of various data types. This means that a list can contain integers, floating point numbers, strings, or any other Python data type, at the same time. That is not the case with arrays.
As mentioned in the section above, arrays store only items that are of the same single data type. There are arrays that contain only integers, or only floating point numbers, or only any other Python data type you want to use.
Lists are built into the Python programming language, whereas arrays aren't. Arrays are not a built-in data structure, and therefore need to be imported via the array module
in order to be used.
Arrays of the array module
are a thin wrapper over C arrays, and are useful when you want to work with homogeneous data.
They are also more compact and take up less memory and space which makes them more size efficient compared to lists.
If you want to perform mathematical calculations, then you should use NumPy arrays by importing the NumPy package. Besides that, you should just use Python arrays when you really need to, as lists work in a similar way and are more flexible to work with.
In order to create Python arrays, you'll first have to import the array module
which contains all the necassary functions.
There are three ways you can import the array module
:
import array
at the top of the file. This includes the module array
. You would then go on to create an array using array.array()
.import array
#how you would create an array
array.array()
array.array()
all the time, you could use import array as arr
at the top of the file, instead of import array
alone. You would then create an array by typing arr.array()
. The arr
acts as an alias name, with the array constructor then immediately following it.import array as arr
#how you would create an array
arr.array()
from array import *
, with *
importing all the functionalities available. You would then create an array by writing the array()
constructor alone.from array import *
#how you would create an array
array()
Once you've imported the array module
, you can then go on to define a Python array.
The general syntax for creating an array looks like this:
variable_name = array(typecode,[elements])
Let's break it down:
variable_name
would be the name of the array.typecode
specifies what kind of elements would be stored in the array. Whether it would be an array of integers, an array of floats or an array of any other Python data type. Remember that all elements should be of the same data type.elements
that would be stored in the array, with each element being separated by a comma. You can also create an empty array by just writing variable_name = array(typecode)
alone, without any elements.Below is a typecode table, with the different typecodes that can be used with the different data types when defining Python arrays:
TYPECODE | C TYPE | PYTHON TYPE | SIZE |
---|---|---|---|
'b' | signed char | int | 1 |
'B' | unsigned char | int | 1 |
'u' | wchar_t | Unicode character | 2 |
'h' | signed short | int | 2 |
'H' | unsigned short | int | 2 |
'i' | signed int | int | 2 |
'I' | unsigned int | int | 2 |
'l' | signed long | int | 4 |
'L' | unsigned long | int | 4 |
'q' | signed long long | int | 8 |
'Q' | unsigned long long | int | 8 |
'f' | float | float | 4 |
'd' | double | float | 8 |
Tying everything together, here is an example of how you would define an array in Python:
import array as arr
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
print(numbers)
#output
#array('i', [10, 20, 30])
Let's break it down:
import array as arr
.numbers
array.arr.array()
because of import array as arr
.array()
constructor, we first included i
, for signed integer. Signed integer means that the array can include positive and negative values. Unsigned integer, with H
for example, would mean that no negative values are allowed.Keep in mind that if you tried to include values that were not of i
typecode, meaning they were not integer values, you would get an error:
import array as arr
numbers = arr.array('i',[10.0,20,30])
print(numbers)
#output
#Traceback (most recent call last):
# File "/Users/dionysialemonaki/python_articles/demo.py", line 14, in <module>
# numbers = arr.array('i',[10.0,20,30])
#TypeError: 'float' object cannot be interpreted as an integer
In the example above, I tried to include a floating point number in the array. I got an error because this is meant to be an integer array only.
Another way to create an array is the following:
from array import *
#an array of floating point values
numbers = array('d',[10.0,20.0,30.0])
print(numbers)
#output
#array('d', [10.0, 20.0, 30.0])
The example above imported the array module
via from array import *
and created an array numbers
of float data type. This means that it holds only floating point numbers, which is specified with the 'd'
typecode.
To find out the exact number of elements contained in an array, use the built-in len()
method.
It will return the integer number that is equal to the total number of elements in the array you specify.
import array as arr
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
print(len(numbers))
#output
# 3
In the example above, the array contained three elements – 10, 20, 30
– so the length of numbers
is 3
.
Each item in an array has a specific address. Individual items are accessed by referencing their index number.
Indexing in Python, and in all programming languages and computing in general, starts at 0
. It is important to remember that counting starts at 0
and not at 1
.
To access an element, you first write the name of the array followed by square brackets. Inside the square brackets you include the item's index number.
The general syntax would look something like this:
array_name[index_value_of_item]
Here is how you would access each individual element in an array:
import array as arr
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
print(numbers[0]) # gets the 1st element
print(numbers[1]) # gets the 2nd element
print(numbers[2]) # gets the 3rd element
#output
#10
#20
#30
Remember that the index value of the last element of an array is always one less than the length of the array. Where n
is the length of the array, n - 1
will be the index value of the last item.
Note that you can also access each individual element using negative indexing.
With negative indexing, the last element would have an index of -1
, the second to last element would have an index of -2
, and so on.
Here is how you would get each item in an array using that method:
import array as arr
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
print(numbers[-1]) #gets last item
print(numbers[-2]) #gets second to last item
print(numbers[-3]) #gets first item
#output
#30
#20
#10
You can find out an element's index number by using the index()
method.
You pass the value of the element being searched as the argument to the method, and the element's index number is returned.
import array as arr
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
#search for the index of the value 10
print(numbers.index(10))
#output
#0
If there is more than one element with the same value, the index of the first instance of the value will be returned:
import array as arr
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30,10,20,30])
#search for the index of the value 10
#will return the index number of the first instance of the value 10
print(numbers.index(10))
#output
#0
You've seen how to access each individual element in an array and print it out on its own.
You've also seen how to print the array, using the print()
method. That method gives the following result:
import array as arr
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
print(numbers)
#output
#array('i', [10, 20, 30])
What if you want to print each value one by one?
This is where a loop comes in handy. You can loop through the array and print out each value, one-by-one, with each loop iteration.
For this you can use a simple for
loop:
import array as arr
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
for number in numbers:
print(number)
#output
#10
#20
#30
You could also use the range()
function, and pass the len()
method as its parameter. This would give the same result as above:
import array as arr
values = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
#prints each individual value in the array
for value in range(len(values)):
print(values[value])
#output
#10
#20
#30
To access a specific range of values inside the array, use the slicing operator, which is a colon :
.
When using the slicing operator and you only include one value, the counting starts from 0
by default. It gets the first item, and goes up to but not including the index number you specify.
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
#get the values 10 and 20 only
print(numbers[:2]) #first to second position
#output
#array('i', [10, 20])
When you pass two numbers as arguments, you specify a range of numbers. In this case, the counting starts at the position of the first number in the range, and up to but not including the second one:
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
#get the values 20 and 30 only
print(numbers[1:3]) #second to third position
#output
#rray('i', [20, 30])
Arrays are mutable, which means they are changeable. You can change the value of the different items, add new ones, or remove any you don't want in your program anymore.
Let's see some of the most commonly used methods which are used for performing operations on arrays.
You can change the value of a specific element by speficying its position and assigning it a new value:
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
#change the first element
#change it from having a value of 10 to having a value of 40
numbers[0] = 40
print(numbers)
#output
#array('i', [40, 20, 30])
To add one single value at the end of an array, use the append()
method:
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
#add the integer 40 to the end of numbers
numbers.append(40)
print(numbers)
#output
#array('i', [10, 20, 30, 40])
Be aware that the new item you add needs to be the same data type as the rest of the items in the array.
Look what happens when I try to add a float to an array of integers:
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
#add the integer 40 to the end of numbers
numbers.append(40.0)
print(numbers)
#output
#Traceback (most recent call last):
# File "/Users/dionysialemonaki/python_articles/demo.py", line 19, in <module>
# numbers.append(40.0)
#TypeError: 'float' object cannot be interpreted as an integer
But what if you want to add more than one value to the end an array?
Use the extend()
method, which takes an iterable (such as a list of items) as an argument. Again, make sure that the new items are all the same data type.
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
#add the integers 40,50,60 to the end of numbers
#The numbers need to be enclosed in square brackets
numbers.extend([40,50,60])
print(numbers)
#output
#array('i', [10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60])
And what if you don't want to add an item to the end of an array? Use the insert()
method, to add an item at a specific position.
The insert()
function takes two arguments: the index number of the position the new element will be inserted, and the value of the new element.
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
#add the integer 40 in the first position
#remember indexing starts at 0
numbers.insert(0,40)
print(numbers)
#output
#array('i', [40, 10, 20, 30])
To remove an element from an array, use the remove()
method and include the value as an argument to the method.
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30])
numbers.remove(10)
print(numbers)
#output
#array('i', [20, 30])
With remove()
, only the first instance of the value you pass as an argument will be removed.
See what happens when there are more than one identical values:
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30,10,20])
numbers.remove(10)
print(numbers)
#output
#array('i', [20, 30, 10, 20])
Only the first occurence of 10
is removed.
You can also use the pop()
method, and specify the position of the element to be removed:
import array as arr
#original array
numbers = arr.array('i',[10,20,30,10,20])
#remove the first instance of 10
numbers.pop(0)
print(numbers)
#output
#array('i', [20, 30, 10, 20])
And there you have it - you now know the basics of how to create arrays in Python using the array module
. Hopefully you found this guide helpful.
Thanks for reading and happy coding!
#python #programming