Each new version of Python adds new features to the language. For Python 3.8, the biggest change is the addition of assignment expressions. Specifically, the := operator gives you a new syntax for assigning variables in the middle of expressions. This operator is colloquially known as the walrus operator. This tutorial is an in-depth introduction to the walrus operator. You will learn some of the motivations for the syntax update and explore some examples where assignment expressions can be useful. […]

If you’re using Python’s NumPy library, it’s usually because you’re processing large arrays that use plenty of memory. To reduce your memory usage, chances are you want to minimize unnecessary copying, NumPy has a built-in feature that does this transparently, in many common cases: memory views. However, this feature can also cause higher memory usage by preventing arrays from being garbage collected. And in some cases it can cause bugs, with data being mutated in unexpected ways. To avoid these […]

Sometimes when you’re working with several different dictionaries, you need to group and manage them as a single one. In other situations, you can have multiple dictionaries representing different scopes or contexts and need to handle them as a single dictionary that allows you to access the underlying data following a given order or priority. In those cases, you can take advantage of Python’s ChainMap from the collections module. ChainMap groups multiple dictionaries and mappings in a single, updatable view […]