What is the heapq module in Python?

What is the heapq module in Python?

The heapq module in Python provides an implementation of the heap queue algorithm, also known as the priority queue algorithm.

How do I use heapq to create a priority queue?

You can use heapq's functions like heappush and heappop to add and remove elements from the priority queue efficiently.

Can you show me a simple example?

Sure! Here's a quick example:

import heapq

# Create an empty priority queue
pq = []

# Add items to the queue
heapq.heappush(pq, (1, 'task1'))
heapq.heappush(pq, (3, 'task3'))
heapq.heappush(pq, (2, 'task2'))

# Remove items from the queue
while pq:
    print(heapq.heappop(pq))

This will print the tasks in order of their priority.

What are the advantages of using heapq over other data structures?

Heapq is efficient for priority queue operations, providing O(log n) time complexity for insertions and deletions, making it faster than lists for these operations.