Built-in classes and functions

The classes and functions shown on this page can be used without importing anything.

Input and output

input() str
input(prompt) str

Gets input from the user in the terminal window. It waits until the user presses Enter.

Parameters

prompt (str) – If given, this is printed in the terminal window first. This can be used to ask a question so the user knows what to type.

Returns

Everything the user typed before pressing Enter.

print(*objects, sep=' ', end='\n', file=usys.stdin)

Prints text or other objects in the terminal window.

Parameters

objects – Zero or more objects to print.

Keyword Arguments
  • sep (str) – This is printed between objects, if there is more than one.

  • end (str) – This is printed after the last object.

  • file (FileIO) – By default, the result is printed in the terminal window. This argument lets you print it to a file instead, if files are supported.

Basic types

class bool()
class bool(x)

Creates a boolean value, which is either True or False.

The input value is converted using the standard truth testing procedure. If no input is given, it is assumed to be False.

Parameters

x – Value to be converted.

Returns

Result of the truth-test.

class complex(string)
class complex(a=0, b=0)

Creates a complex number from a string or from a pair of numbers.

If a string is given, it must be of the form '1+2j'. If a pair of numbers is provided, the result is computed as: a + b * j.

Parameters
  • string (str) – A string of the form '1+2j' .

  • a (float or complex) – A real-valued or complex number.

  • b (float or complex) – A real-valued or complex number.

Returns

The resulting complex number.

class dict(**kwargs)
class dict(mapping, **kwargs)
class dict(iterable, **kwargs)

Creates a dictionary object.

See the standard Python documentation for a comprehensive reference with examples.

class float(x=0.0)

Creates a floating point number from a given object.

Parameters

x (int or float or str) – Number or string to be converted.

class int(x=0)

Creates an integer.

Parameters

x (int or float or str) – Object to be converted.

to_bytes(length, byteorder) bytes

Get a bytes representation of the integer.

Parameters
  • length (int) – How many bytes to use.

  • byteorder (str) – Choose "big" to put the most significant byte first. Choose "little" to put the least significant byte first.

Returns

Byte sequence that represents the integer.

classmethod from_bytes(bytes, byteorder) int

Convert a byte sequence to the number it represents.

Parameters
  • bytes (bytes) – The bytes to convert.

  • byteorder (str) – Choose "big" if the most significant byte is the first element. Choose "little" if the least significant byte is the first element.

Returns

The number represented by the bytes.

class object

Creates a new, featureless object.

class type(object)

Gets the type of an object. This can be used to check if an object is an instance of a particular class.

Parameters

object – Object of which to check the type.

Sequences

class bytearray()
class bytearray(integer)
class bytearray(iterable)
class bytearray(string)

Creates a new bytearray object, which is a sequence of integers in the range \(0 \leq x \leq 255\). This object is mutable, which means that you can change its contents after you create it.

If no argument is given, this creates an empty bytearray object.

Parameters
  • integer (int) – If the argument is a single integer, this creates a bytearray object of zeros. The argument specifies how many.

  • iterable (iter) – If the argument is a bytearray, bytes object, or some other iterable of integers, this creates a bytearray object with the same byte sequence as the argument.

  • string (str) – If the argument is a string, this creates a bytearray object containing the encoded string.

class bytes()
class bytes(integer)
class bytes(iterable)
class bytes(string, encoding)

Creates a new bytes object, which is a sequence of integers in the range \(0 \leq x \leq 255\). This object is immutable, which means that you cannot change its contents after you create it.

If no argument is given, this creates an empty bytes object.

Parameters
  • integer (int) – If the argument is a single integer, this creates a bytes object of zeros. The argument specifies how many.

  • iterable (iter) – If the argument is a bytearray, bytes object, or some other iterable of integers, this creates a bytes object with the same byte sequence as the argument.

  • string (str) – If the argument is a string, this creates a bytes object containing the encoded string.

  • encoding (str) – Specifies which encoding to use for the string argument. Only "utf-8" is supported.

len(s) int

Gets the length (the number of items) of an object.

Parameters

s (Sequence) – The sequence of which to get the length.

Returns

The length.

class list()
class list(iterable)

Creates a new list. If no argument is given, this creates an empty list object.

A list is mutable, which means that you can change its contents after you create it.

Parameters

iterable (iter) – Iterable from which to build the list.

class slice()

Creating instances of this class is not supported.

Use indexing syntax instead. For example: a[start:stop:step] or a[start:stop, i].

class str()
class str(object)
class str(object, encoding)

Gets the string representation of an object.

If no argument is given, this creates an empty str object.

Parameters
  • object – If only this argument is given, this returns the stirng representation of the object.

  • encoding (str) – If the first argument is a bytearray or bytes object and the encoding argument is "utf-8", this will decode the byte data to get a string representation.

class tuple()
class tuple(iterable)

Creates a new tuple. If no argument is given, this creates an empty tuple object.

A tuple is immutable, which means that you cannot change its contents after you create it.

Parameters

iterable (iter) – Iterable from which to build the tuple.

Iterators

all(x) bool

Checks if all elements of the iterable are true.

Equivalent to:

def all(x):
    for element in x:
        if not element:
            return False
    return True
Parameters

x (Iterable) – The iterable to be checked.

Returns

True if the iterable x is empty or if all elements are true. Otherwise False.

any(x) bool

Checks if at least one elements of the iterable is true.

Equivalent to:

def any(x):
    for element in x:
        if element:
            return True
    return False
Parameters

x (Iterable) – The iterable to be checked.

Returns

True if at least one element in x is true. Otherwise False.

class enumerate(iterable, start=0)

Enumerates an existing iterator by adding a numeric index.

This function is equivalent to:

def enumerate(sequence, start=0):
    n = start
    for elem in sequence:
        yield n, elem
        n += 1
iter(object) Iterator

Gets the iterator of the object if available.

Parameters

object – Object for which to get the iterator.

Returns

The iterator.

map(function, iterable) Iterator
map(function, iterable1, iterable2...) Iterator

Creates a new iterator that applies the given function to each item in the given iterable and yields the results.

Parameters
  • function (callable) – Function that computes a result for one item in the iterable(s). The number of arguments to this function must match the number of iterables given.

  • iterable (iter) – One or more source interables from which to draw data. With multiple iterables, the iterator stops when the shortest iterable is exhausted.

Returns

The new, mapped iterator.

next(iterator) Any

Retrieves the next item from the iterator by calling its __next__() method.

Parameters

iterator (iter) – Initialized generator object from which to draw the next value.

Returns

The next value from the generator.

class range(stop)
class range(start, stop)
class range(start, stop, step)

Creates a generator that yields values from start up to stop, with increments of step.

Parameters
  • start (int) – Starting value. Defaults to 0 if only one argument is given.

  • stop (int) – Endpoint. This value is not included.

  • step (int) – Increment between values. Defaults to 1 if only one or two arguments are given.

reversed(seq) Iterator

Gets an iterator that yields the values from the sequence in the reverse, if supported.

Parameters

seq – Sequence from which to draw samples.

Returns

Iterator that yields values in reverse order, starting with the last value.

sorted(iterable: Iterable, key=None, reverse=False) List

Sorts objects.

Parameters
  • iterable (iter) – Objects to be sorted. This can also be a generator that yield a finite number of objects.

  • key (callable) – Function def(item) -> int that maps an object to a numerical value. This is used to figure out the order of the sorted items.

  • reverse (bool) – Whether to sort in reverse, putting the highest value first.

Returns

A new list with the sorted items.

zip(iter_a, iter_b, ...) Iterable[Tuple]

Returns an iterator of tuples, where the i-th tuple contains the i-th element from each of the argument sequences or iterables. The iterator stops when the shortest input iterable is exhausted.

With a single iterable argument, it returns an iterator of 1-tuples. With no arguments, it returns an empty iterator.

This functionality is equivalent to:

def zip(*iterables):
    sentinel = object()
    iterators = [iter(it) for it in iterables]
    while iterators:
        result = []
        for it in iterators:
            elem = next(it, sentinel)
            if elem is sentinel:
                return
            result.append(elem)
        yield tuple(result)
Parameters
  • iter_a (iter) – The first iterable. This provides the first value for each of the yielded tuples.

  • iter_b (iter) – The second iterable. This provides the second value in each of the yielded tuples. And so on.

Returns

A new iterator that yields tuples containing the values of the individual iterables.

Conversion functions

bin(x) str

Converts an integer to its binary representation. The result is a string prefixed with 0b. The result is a valid Python expression. For example, bin(5) gives "0b101".

Parameters

x (int) – Value to be converted.

Returns

A string representing the binary form of the input.

chr(x) str

Returns the string representing a character whose Unicode code is the integer x. This is the inverse of ord(). For example, chr(97) gives "a".

Parameters

x (int) – Value to be converted (0-255).

Returns

A string with one character, corresponding to the given Unicode value.

hex(x) str

Converts an integer to its hexadecimal representation. The result is a lowercase string prefixed with 0x. The result is a valid Python expression. For example, hex(25) gives "0x19".

Parameters

x (int) – Value to be converted.

Returns

A string representing the hexadecimal form of the input.

oct(x) str

Converts an integer to its octal representation. The result is a string prefixed with 0o. The result is a valid Python expression. For example, oct(25) gives "0o31".

Parameters

x (int) – Value to be converted.

Returns

A string representing the octal form of the input.

ord(c) int

Converts a string consisting of one Unicode character to the corresponding number. This is the inverse of chr().

Parameters

c (str) – Character to be converted.

Returns

Number that represents the character (0–255).

repr(object) str

Gets the string that represents an object.

Parameters

x (object) – Object to be converted.

Returns

String representation implemented by the object’s __repr__ method.

Math functions

See also umath for floating point math operations.

abs(x) Any

Returns the absolute value of a number.

The argument may be an integer, a floating point number, or any object implementing __abs__(). If the argument is a complex number, its magnitude is returned.

Parameters

x (Any) – The value.

Returns

Absolute value of x.

divmod(a, b) Tuple[int, int]

Gets the quotient and remainder for dividing two integers.

See the standard Python divmod documentation for the expected behavior when a or b are floating point numbers instead.

Parameters
  • a (int) – Numerator.

  • b (int) – Denominator.

Returns

A tuple with the quotient a // b and the remainder a % b.

max(iterable) Any
max(arg1, arg2, ....) Any

Gets the object with largest value.

The argument may be a single iterable, or any number of objects.

Returns

The object with the largest value.

min(iterable) Any
min(arg1, arg2, ....) Any

Gets the object with smallest value.

The argument may be a single iterable, or any number of objects.

Returns

The object with the smallest value.

pow(base, exp) Number

Raises the base to the given exponent: \(\text{base}^{\mathrm{exp}}\).

This is the same as doing base ** exp.

Parameters
  • base (Number) – The base.

  • exp (Number) – The exponent.

Returns

The result.

round(number) int
round(number, ndigits) float

Round a number to a given number of digits after the decimal point.

If ndigits is omitted or None, it returns the nearest integer.

Rounding with one or more digits after the decimal point will not always truncate trailing zeros. To print numbers nicely, format strings instead:

# print two decimal places
print('my number: %.2f' % number) print('my number:
{:.2f}'.format(number))
Parameters
  • number (float) – The number to be rounded.

  • ndigits (int) – The number of digits remaining after the decimal point.

sum(iterable) Number
sum(iterable, start) Number

Sums the items from the iterable and the start value.

Parameters
  • iterable (iter) – Values to be summed, starting with the first value.

  • start (Number) – Value added to the total.

Returns

The total sum.

Runtime functions

eval(expression) Any
eval(expression, globals) Any
eval(expression, globals, locals) Any

Evaluates the result of an expression.

Syntax errors are reported as exceptions.

Parameters
  • expression (str) – Expression to evaluate result of.

  • globals (dict) – If given, this controls what functions are available for use in the expression. By default the global scope is accessible.

  • locals (dict) – If given, this controls what functions are available for use in the expression. Defaults to the same as globals.

Returns

The value obtained by executing the expression.

exec(expression)
exec(expression, globals) None
exec(expression, globals, locals) None

Executes MicroPython code.

Syntax errors are reported as exceptions.

Parameters
  • expression (str) – Code to be executed.

  • globals (dict) – If given, this controls what functions are available for use in the expression. By default the global scope is accessible.

  • locals (dict) – If given, this controls what functions are available for use in the expression. Defaults to the same as globals.

globals() dict

Gets a dictionary representing the current global symbol table.

Returns

The dictionary of globals.

hash(object) int

Gets the hash value of an object, if the object supports it.

Parameters

object – Object for which to get a hash value.

Returns

The hash value.

help()
help(object) None

Get information about an object.

If no arguments are given, this function prints instructions to operate the REPL. If the argument is "modules", it prints the available modules.

Parameters

object – Object for which to print help information.

id(object) int

Gets the identity of an object. This is an integer which is guaranteed to be unique and constant for this object during its lifetime.

Parameters

object – Object of which to get the identifier.

Returns

The identifier.

locals() dict

Gets a dictionary representing the current local symbol table.

Returns

The dictionary of locals.

Class functions

callable(object) bool

Checks if an object is callable.

Parameters

object – Object to check.

Returns

True if the object argument appears callable, False if not.

dir() List[str]
dir(object) List[str]

Gets a list of attributes of an object.

If no object argument is given, this function gets the list of names in the current local scope.

Parameters

object – Object to check for valid attributes.

Returns

List of object attributes or list of names in current local scope.

getattr(object, name) Any
getattr(object, name, default) Any

Looks up the attribute called name in the given object.

Parameters
  • object – Object in which to look for the attribute.

  • name (str) – Name of the attribute.

  • default – Object to return if the attribute is not found.

Returns

Returns the value of the named attribute.

hasattr(object, name) bool

Checks if an attribute exists on an object.

Parameters
  • object – Object in which to look for the attribute.

  • name (str) – Name of the attribute.

Returns

True if an attribute by that name exists, False if not.

isinstance(object, classinfo) bool

Checks if an object is an instance of a certain class.

Parameters
  • object – Object to check the type of.

  • classinfo (type or tuple) – Class information.

Returns

True if the object argument is an instance of the classinfo argument, or of a subclass thereof.

issubclass(cls, classinfo) bool

Checks if one class is a subclass of another class.

Parameters
  • cls – Class type.

  • classinfo (type or tuple) – Class information.

Returns

True if cls is a subclass of classinfo.

setattr(object, name, value)

Assigns a value to an attribute, provided that the object allows it.

This is the counterpart of getattr().

Parameters
  • object – Object in which to store the attribute.

  • name (str) – Name of the attribute.

  • value – Value to store.

super() type
super(type) type
super(type, object_or_type) type

Gets an object that delegates method calls to a parent, or a sibling class of the given type.

Returns

The matching super() object.

Method decorators

@classmethod

Transforms a method into a class method.

@staticmethod

Transforms a method into a static method.