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Cover image for Python sets methods explanation and visualizationπŸπŸš€πŸ’‘
Mahmoud EL-kariouny
Mahmoud EL-kariouny

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Python sets methods explanation and visualizationπŸπŸš€πŸ’‘

Python sets methods

add()

  • Adds an element to the set.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩"}
smileys.add("πŸ˜‡")

# output
{'πŸ˜‰', 'πŸ™‚', 'πŸ˜€', '🀩', 'πŸ˜‡'}
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clear()

  • Removes all the elements from the set.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩"}
smileys.clear()

# output
set()
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copy()

  • Returns a copy of the set.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩"}
x = smileys.copy()

# output
{'πŸ˜€', 'πŸ˜‰', 'πŸ™‚', '🀩'}
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difference()

  • Returns a set containing the difference between two or more sets.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩"}
emojis = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "😍", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}
x = emojis.difference(smileys)

# output
{'😍', 'πŸ˜‡'}
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difference_update()

  • Removes the items in this set that are also included in another, specified set.
  • The difference_update() method is different from the difference() method, because the difference() method returns a new set.
  • without the unwanted items, and the difference_update() method removes the unwanted items from the original set.
emojis = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "😍", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "🀩"}
emojis.difference_update(smileys)

# output
{'πŸ˜‰', 'πŸ˜‡', '😍'}
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discard()

  • Remove the specified item.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩"}
smileys.discard("πŸ˜‰")

# output
{'πŸ˜€', 'πŸ™‚', '🀩'}
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intersection()

  • Returns a set, that is the intersection of two or more sets.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩"}
emojis = {"πŸ˜‰", "😍", "πŸ˜‡"}

x = smileys.intersection(emojis)

# output
{'πŸ˜‰'}
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intersection_update()

  • method removes the items that is not present in both sets (or in all sets if the comparison is done between more than two sets).
  • The intersection_update() method is different from the intersection() method, because the intersection() method returns a new set.
  • without the unwanted items, and the intersection_update() method removes the unwanted items from the original set.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}
emojis = {"πŸ˜‰", "😍", "πŸ˜‡"}

smileys.difference_update(emojis)

# output
{'🀩', 'πŸ™‚', 'πŸ˜€'}
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isdisjoint()

  • Returns whether two sets have a intersection or not
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‡"}
emojis = {"πŸ˜‰", "😍", "🀩"}

x = smileys.isdisjoint(emojis)

# output
True
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issubset()

  • method returns True if all items in the set exists in the specified set, otherwise it retuns False.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‡"}
emojis = {"πŸ˜‰", "😍", "🀩"}

x = smileys.issubset(emojis)

# output
False
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pop()

  • Removes an element from the set.
  • Note: Because the set() is unordered we cannot ensure what element will be removed.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}
x = smileys.pop()

# output 1
πŸ™‚
# output 2
🀩
# output 3
πŸ˜‰
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remove()

  • Removes the specified element.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}
smileys.remove("πŸ˜‰")

# output
{'πŸ˜€', 'πŸ™‚', 'πŸ˜‡', '🀩'}
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symmetric_difference()

  • method returns a set that contains all items from both set, but not the items that are present in both sets. -Meaning: The returned set contains a mix of items that are not present in both sets.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}
emojis = {"πŸ˜‰", "😍", "🀩"}

x = smileys.symmetric_difference(emojis)

# output
{'πŸ˜‡', 'πŸ™‚', 'πŸ˜€', '😍'}
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symmetric_difference_update()

  • method updates the original set by removing items that are present in both sets, and inserting the other items.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‰", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}
emojis = {"πŸ˜‰", "😍", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}

smileys.symmetric_difference_update(emojis)

# output
{'😍', 'πŸ™‚', 'πŸ˜€'}
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union()

  • method returns a set that contains all items from the original set, and all items from the specified set(s).
  • Note: It will remove the same element from the original set.
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚", "πŸ˜‡", "πŸ˜‰"}
emojis = {"πŸ˜‰", "😍", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}

x = smileys.union(emojis)

# output
{'πŸ˜‡', 'πŸ˜‰', 'πŸ˜€', 'πŸ™‚', '😍', '🀩'}
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update()

  • method updates the current set, by adding items from another set (or any other iterable).
smileys = {"πŸ˜€", "πŸ™‚"}
emojis = {"πŸ˜‰", "😍", "🀩", "πŸ˜‡"}

smileys.update(emojis)

# output
{'😍', 'πŸ™‚', '🀩', 'πŸ˜‡', 'πŸ˜‰', 'πŸ˜€'}
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