string.whitespace in Python

In this tutorial, we are going to learn about string.whitespace in Python. The string.whitespace constant is pre-defined in the string module and contains all ASCII whitespace characters: space, tab, linefeed, return, formfeed, and vertical tab.

What is string.whitespace?

The string.whitespace is a string constant that contains all characters considered as whitespace in ASCII. This includes:

• Space character (' ')
• Tab character ('\t')
• Newline character ('\n')
• Carriage return ('\r')
• Form feed ('\f')
• Vertical tab ('\v')

Basic Example

Let's see what string.whitespace contains ?

import string

print("Content of string.whitespace:")
print(repr(string.whitespace))
print("\nLength:", len(string.whitespace))

Content of string.whitespace:
' \t\n\r\x0b\x0c'

Length: 6

Practical Use Cases

Checking if a Character is Whitespace

You can use string.whitespace to check if a character is a whitespace character ?

import string

characters = ['a', ' ', '\t', '\n', '5', '\r']

for char in characters:
    if char in string.whitespace:
        print(f"'{repr(char)}' is whitespace")
    else:
        print(f"'{char}' is not whitespace")

'a' is not whitespace
' ' is whitespace
'\t' is whitespace
'\n' is whitespace
'5' is not whitespace
'\r' is whitespace

Removing Whitespace Characters

Use string.whitespace to remove all whitespace characters from a string ?

import string

text = "Hello\t World\n\r Python"
print("Original text:", repr(text))

# Remove all whitespace characters
cleaned_text = ''.join(char for char in text if char not in string.whitespace)
print("Cleaned text:", cleaned_text)

Original text: 'Hello\t World\n\r Python'
Cleaned text: HelloWorldPython

Comparison with Other Methods

Conclusion

string.whitespace is a useful constant for custom whitespace detection and manipulation. It contains all ASCII whitespace characters and is particularly helpful when you need more control than built-in string methods provide.