Tutorials

Python string center() Method

Posted in Python Tutorial

Updated on Nov 22, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 101 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

In Python, strings are versatile and come with a variety of built-in methods for manipulation and formatting.

The center() method is one such method used to center-align a string within a specified width.

This is particularly useful when you want to present text in a visually appealing way, such as when formatting output or creating tables.

🤓 Understanding the casefold() Method

The center() method is a built-in string method in Python that returns a centered version of the original string.

It takes two parameters: width and an optional fillchar.

The width parameter specifies the total width of the centered string, and fillchar (if provided) is used to fill the remaining space.

If fillchar is not provided, it defaults to a space.

💡 Syntax

The syntax for the center() method is:

Syntax

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string.center(width, fillchar)

Here, string is the original string, width is the total width of the centered string, and fillchar is an optional parameter for filling the remaining space.

📄 Example

Let's explore a simple example to understand how the center() method works:

center.py

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# Using center() method
original_string = "Python"
centered_string = original_string.center(10, '*')

# Displaying the results
print("Original String:", original_string)
print("Centered String:", centered_string)

💻 Testing the Program

Output

Original String: Python
Centered String: **Python**

🧠 How the Program Works

In this example, the center() method centers the original string "Python" within a width of 10 characters, using * as the fill character.

📚 Common Use Cases

Text Alignment in Output:
text-alignment.py
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```
header = "Welcome to Python".center(30, '-')
```

Creating Tables:

creating-tables.py

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table_row = "Data 1 | Data 2".center(30, ' ')

Formatting Displayed Text:
formatting-displayed-text.py
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```
formatted_text = "Important Message".center(50, '*')
```

📝 Notes

If the specified width is less than or equal to the length of the original string, the method returns the original string unchanged.
If the fillchar is not specified, it defaults to a space character.