Split string with multiple delimiters in Python

Split string with multiple delimiters in Python

Luckily, Python has this built-in 🙂

import re
re.split(; |, ,str)

Update:
Following your comment:

>>> a=Beautiful, is; better*thannugly
>>> import re
>>> re.split(; |, |*|n,a)
[Beautiful, is, better, than, ugly]

Do a str.replace(; , , ) and then a str.split(, )

Split string with multiple delimiters in Python

Heres a safe way for any iterable of delimiters, using regular expressions:

>>> import re
>>> delimiters = a, ..., (c)
>>> example = stackoverflow (c) is awesome... isnt it?
>>> regexPattern = |.join(map(re.escape, delimiters))
>>> regexPattern
a|\.\.\.|\(c\)
>>> re.split(regexPattern, example)
[st, ckoverflow ,  is , wesome,  isnt it?]

re.escape allows to build the pattern automatically and have the delimiters escaped nicely.

Heres this solution as a function for your copy-pasting pleasure:

def split(delimiters, string, maxsplit=0):
    import re
    regexPattern = |.join(map(re.escape, delimiters))
    return re.split(regexPattern, string, maxsplit)

If youre going to split often using the same delimiters, compile your regular expression beforehand like described and use RegexObject.split.

---

If youd like to leave the original delimiters in the string, you can change the regex to use a lookbehind assertion instead:

>>> import re
>>> delimiters = a, ..., (c)
>>> example = stackoverflow (c) is awesome... isnt it?
>>> regexPattern = |.join((?<={}).format(re.escape(delim)) for delim in delimiters)
>>> regexPattern
(?<=a)|(?<=\.\.\.)|(?<=\(c\))
>>> re.split(regexPattern, example)
[sta, ckoverflow (c),  is a, wesome...,  isnt it?]

(replace ?<= with ?= to attach the delimiters to the righthand side, instead of left)