Check a string for a specific character in Python

This post will discuss how to check a string for a specific character in Python.

1. Using `in` operator

The Pythonic, fast way to check for the specific character in a string uses the in operator. It returns True if the character is found in the string and False otherwise.

if __name__ == '__main__':

s = "techiedelight.com"

ch = '.'

if ch in s:

print("Character found")

else:

print("Character not found")

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The in operator implement the built-in function __contains__. It is not a good practice to call directly.

if __name__ == '__main__':

s = "techiedelight.com"

ch = '.'

if s.__contains__(ch):

print("Character found")

else:

print("Character not found")

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2. Using `str.find()` function

Another common approach to search for a character in the string is using the str.find() function. This returns the index of the first occurrence of the character in the string and -1 when the character is not found.

if __name__ == '__main__':

s = "techiedelight.com"

ch = '.'

if s.find(ch) != -1:

print("Character found")

else:

print("Character not found")

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3. Using Regex

Another approach is to use the regex, as demonstrated below. Note that regular expressions are costly and should be avoided whenever possible.

import re

if __name__ == '__main__':

s = "techiedelight.com"

pattern = re.compile(r'.')

if pattern.findall(s):

print("Character found")

else:

print("Character not found")

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That’s all about checking a string for a specific character in Python.

Check a string for a specific character in Python

1. Using in operator

2. Using str.find() function

3. Using Regex

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1. Using `in` operator

2. Using `str.find()` function