What are generators in Python and how do they work?

What are generators in Python and how do they work?

Generators are a type of iterable in Python that allow you to iterate through a sequence of values without storing them all in memory at once. They are defined using a function that contains one or more 'yield' statements.

Can you give me an example of a simple generator?

Sure! Here's a simple generator that yields the first three numbers:

def simple_generator():
    yield 1
    yield 2
    yield 3

You can use it like this:

for number in simple_generator():
    print(number)

What is the difference between a generator and a regular function?

The main difference is that a regular function returns a single value and exits, while a generator can yield multiple values over time, pausing its state between each yield.

When should I use generators instead of lists?

You should use generators when dealing with large datasets or streams of data where you want to save memory, as they generate items on-the-fly and do not store the entire dataset in memory.