Python Program to print strings based on the list of prefix

When it is required to print strings based on the list of prefix elements, a list comprehension, the any() operator and the startswith() method are used.

Example

Below is a demonstration of the same ?

my_list = ["streek", "greet", "meet", "leeks", "mean"]

print("The list is:")
print(my_list)

prefix_list = ["st", "ge", "me", "re"]
print("The prefix list is:")
print(prefix_list)

my_result = [element for element in my_list if any(element.startswith(ele) for ele in prefix_list)]

print("The result is:")
print(my_result)

Output

The list is:
['streek', 'greet', 'meet', 'leeks', 'mean']
The prefix list is:
['st', 'ge', 'me', 're']
The result is:
['streek', 'meet', 'mean']

How It Works

The solution uses a list comprehension with the any() function to check if each string starts with any of the given prefixes:

• List comprehension − Iterates through each element in my_list
• any() function − Returns True if at least one condition is met
• startswith() method − Checks if a string begins with a specific prefix
• Generator expression − (element.startswith(ele) for ele in prefix_list) creates boolean values for each prefix check

Alternative Method Using Loop

Here's an alternative approach using a traditional loop ?

my_list = ["streek", "greet", "meet", "leeks", "mean"]
prefix_list = ["st", "ge", "me", "re"]

result = []
for word in my_list:
    for prefix in prefix_list:
        if word.startswith(prefix):
            result.append(word)
            break  # Found a match, no need to check other prefixes

print("The result is:")
print(result)

The result is:
['streek', 'meet', 'mean']

Conclusion

List comprehension with any() and startswith() provides a concise way to filter strings based on multiple prefixes. The alternative loop method offers more control but requires more code.