What are some practical use cases for iterators in Python?

What are some practical use cases for iterators in Python?

Iterators in Python are used for looping through data structures like lists, tuples, and dictionaries. They allow for efficient data handling without loading everything into memory at once.

Can you give me an example of using an iterator with a list?

Sure! You can create an iterator from a list using the iter() function and then use next() to access elements one by one. For example:

my_list = [1, 2, 3]
my_iterator = iter(my_list)
print(next(my_iterator))  # Outputs: 1
print(next(my_iterator))  # Outputs: 2

What about using iterators with files?

Great question! You can use iterators to read files line by line, which is memory efficient. For example:

with open('file.txt') as f:
    for line in f:
        print(line.strip())

Are there any built-in functions that work with iterators?

Yes! Functions like map(), filter(), and zip() work with iterators, allowing you to apply functions, filter data, or combine multiple iterables efficiently.