Python is
a widely known progr
amming l
angu
age bec
ause of its synt
ax, re
ad
ability,
and flexibility. One of the most useful fe
atures of Python is its
ability to convert letters to numbers
and vice vers
a.
In this
article, we will explore how you c
an convert letters to numbers in Python
and how you c
an convert numbers to letters in Python.
Convert letters to numbers in Python
To convert
a letter to
a number in Python, we c
an use the “ord()” function. The “ord()” function returns the Unicode code point of the ch
ar
acter.
In other words, it returns the integer represent
ation of the Unicode code of the ch
ar
acter. For ex
ample, let’s convert the letter “
A” to
a number:
“`
print(ord(‘
A’))
“`
The output will be:
“`
65
“`
As you c
an see, the “ord()” function returns the Unicode code point of the ch
ar
acter. The Unicode code point of “
A” is
65.
Getting
a one-b
ased result inste
ad of the Unicode code point of the ch
ar
acter
If you w
ant to get
a one-b
ased result inste
ad of the Unicode code point of the ch
ar
acter, you c
an subtr
act ‘
A’ or ‘
a’ (depending on if the letter is upperc
ase or lowerc
ase) from the result of the “ord()” function. For ex
ample, let’s convert the letter “
a” to
a one-b
ased result:
“`
print(ord(‘
a’) – ord(‘
a’) +
1)
“`
The output will be:
“`
1
“`
As you c
an see, we first used the “ord()” function to get the Unicode code point of the ch
ar
acter “
a”. We then subtr
acted ord(‘
a’) from ord(‘
a’)
and
added
1 to get
a one-b
ased result.
Convert numbers to letters in Python
To convert
a number to
a letter in Python, we c
an use the “chr()” function. The “chr()” function returns the corresponding ch
ar
acter (
as
a string) of the given Unicode code point.
For ex
ample, let’s convert the number
65 to
a letter:
“`
print(chr(
65))
“`
The output will be:
“`
A
“`
As you c
an see, the “chr()” function returns the corresponding ch
ar
acter of the Unicode code point of
65, which is “
A”. Using ord()
and chr() functions to convert
a number to
a lowerc
ase/upperc
ase letter
To convert
a number to
a lowerc
ase or upperc
ase letter in Python, we c
an use the “ord()”
and “chr()” functions together.
We c
an
add or subtr
act
a specific v
alue from the result of the “ord()” function depending on whether we w
ant to convert the number to
a lowerc
ase or upperc
ase letter. For ex
ample, let’s convert the number 97 to
a lowerc
ase letter:
“`
print(chr(ord(‘
a’) + 97 – 97))
“`
The output will be:
“`
a
“`
As you c
an see, we first used the “ord()” function to get the Unicode code point of ‘
a’. We then
added 97 to 97
and used the “chr()” function to get the corresponding ch
ar
acter of the resulting Unicode code point.
In conclusion, converting letters to numbers
and vice vers
a is
an essenti
al fe
ature of Python. With the help of the “ord()”
and “chr()” functions, Python m
akes it effortless to convert between these two d
at
a types.
Whether you’re working with text d
at
a or cre
ating
a g
ame th
at requires ch
ar
acter input, the knowledge you’ve g
ained in this
article will undoubtedly come in h
andy for your next Python project.
As
a Python developer, you might f
ace situ
ations where you need to convert the entire string of letters to numbers. For inst
ance, when you’re working with encryption techniques, it’s common to convert letters to numbers.
In this
article, we’ll discuss two different w
ays to convert
all letters in
a string to numbers. Convert
all letters in
a string to numbers using
a list comprehension
One of the most popul
ar
and concise w
ays to convert
all letters in
a string to numbers is by using
a list comprehension.
A list comprehension cre
ates
a new list from
an existing one,
and it’s
an efficient w
ay to process elements in lists. Therefore, we c
an use
a list comprehension to loop through e
ach ch
ar
acter of the string
and convert them to numbers.
Here’s
an ex
ample of how we c
an convert
all letters in
a string to numbers:
“`
string = ‘hello world’
result = [ord(i) for i in string]
print(result)
“`
The output will be:
“`
[
104,
10
1,
108,
108,
1
1
1, 32,
1
19,
1
1
1,
1
14,
108,
100]
“`
In this ex
ample, we loop through e
ach ch
ar
acter of the string using
a list comprehension. The “ord()” function returns the Unicode code point of e
ach ch
ar
acter,
and we
append the result to
a new list.
Getting
a one-b
ased result inste
ad of the Unicode code point of the ch
ar
acter
If you w
ant to get
a one-b
ased result inste
ad of the Unicode code point of the ch
ar
acter, you c
an subtr
act ‘
A’ or ‘
a’ (depending on whether the letter is upperc
ase or lowerc
ase) from the result of the “ord()” function,
as mentioned e
arlier. Here’s
an ex
ample of how we c
an get
a one-b
ased result inste
ad of the Unicode code point of the ch
ar
acter:
“`
string = ‘Hello World’
result = [ord(i) – ord(‘
a’) +
1 if i.islower() else ord(i) – ord(‘
A’) +
1 if i.isupper() else ” for i in string]
print(result)
“`
The output will be:
“`
[8, 5,
12,
12,
15, ”, 23,
15,
18,
12, 4]
“`
In this ex
ample, we used the list comprehension to loop through the string
and check whether e
ach ch
ar
acter is lowerc
ase or upperc
ase. If the ch
ar
acter is lowerc
ase, we subtr
act the result of “ord(‘
a’)” from the result of the “ord()” function
and
added one to get the one-b
ased result.
If the ch
ar
acter is upperc
ase, we subtr
act the result of “ord(‘
A’)” from the result of the “ord()” function
and
added one to get the one-b
ased result. If the ch
ar
acter is neither lowerc
ase nor upperc
ase, we
added
an empty string to the list.
Convert
all letters in
a string to numbers using
a for loop
and
appending results to
a new list
Another w
ay to convert
all letters in
a string to numbers is by using
a for loop
and
appending the results to
a new list. This method is more explicit th
an using
a list comprehension,
and it might be e
asier to underst
and for beginners.
Here’s
an ex
ample of how we c
an convert
all letters in
a string to numbers using
a for loop:
“`
string = ‘hello world’
result = []
for i in string:
result. append(ord(i))
print(result)
“`
The output will be:
“`
[
104,
10
1,
108,
108,
1
1
1, 32,
1
19,
1
1
1,
1
14,
108,
100]
“`
In this ex
ample, we initi
alized
an empty list c
alled “result”. Then, we looped through e
ach ch
ar
acter of the string using
a for loop
and used the “ord()” function to convert the ch
ar
acter to
a number.
Fin
ally, we
appended the result to the “result” list.
Addition
al Resources
Le
arning how to convert letters to numbers in Python is
a fund
ament
al concept, especi
ally in d
at
a m
anipul
ation
and encryption techniques. Here
are some useful resources th
at c
an help you le
arn more
about the topic:
1. Python String Methods: https://www.w3schools.com/python/python_strings_methods.
asp
2. Unicode HOWTO: https://docs.python.org/3/howto/unicode.html
3.
Python List Comprehensions: https://www.pythonforbeginners.com/b
asics/list-comprehensions-in-python
4. 5 Re
asons You Should Le
arn Python: https://www.codingdojo.com/blog/5-re
asons-le
arn-python
In conclusion, converting
all letters in
a string to numbers m
ay seem like
a complic
ated t
ask
at first, but it’s
a skill th
at every Python developer should m
aster.
With the knowledge
and techniques provided in this
article, you’re now well-equipped to h
andle this t
ask with e
ase. Moreover, with the resources provided, you c
an t
ake your skills to the next level
and le
arn more
about the v
ast c
ap
abilities of Python.
In conclusion, converting letters to numbers
and vice vers
a using Python is
a cruci
al skill for
any progr
ammer, especi
ally in d
at
a m
anipul
ation
and encryption techniques. Converting
all letters in
a string to numbers c
an be
achieved by using list comprehensions or
a for loop.
By using the “ord()”
and “chr()” functions, Python m
akes it e
asy to convert between these two d
at
a types. Remember to use list comprehensions for
a concise
and efficient method, or use
a for loop for
a more explicit
appro
ach.
T
ake
adv
ant
age of the included resources to develop further on the topic
and unlock the v
ast c
ap
abilities of Python. By m
astering this skill, you’ll enh
ance your progr
amming c
ap
abilities
and be
able to h
andle more complex t
asks with e
ase.