Python String maketrans() method

Python String maketrans()

Python String.maketrans() method creates a mapping table which can be used with the String.translate() method. Using this mapping table, translate() method replaces the characters with specified values.

In this tutorial, we will learn the syntax and examples for maketrans() method of String class.

Syntax

The syntax of String maketrans() method in Python is

str.maketrans(x, y, z)

where

Parameter	Required/ Optional	Description
x	Required	If only this parameter is specified, then it has to be a dictionary. If y or/and z parameter(s) is also specified, then this parameter has to be a string.
y	Optional	A string whose length is same as that of x.
z	Optional	A string. Specifies which characters are to be removed from the calling string.

Examples

Replace a character with Other

In the following program, we take a string 'apple' in x, and replace 'p' with 't' using maketrans() method.

Example.py

x = "apple"
mapping = x.maketrans('p', 't')
result = x.translate(mapping)
print("Original String    :", x)
print("Translated String  :", result)

Output

Original String    : apple
Translated String  : attle

Replace Characters based on Mapping

In the following program, we take a string 'apple' in x, and replace 'p' with 't', and 'e' with 'm' using maketrans() method.

Example.py

x = "apple"
mapping = x.maketrans({'p':'t', 'e': 'm'})
result = x.translate(mapping)
print("Original String    :", x)
print("Translated String  :", result)

Output

Original String    : apple
Translated String  : attlm

Replace Characters based on Mapping and Delete Some Characters

In the following program, we take a string 'apple' in x, and replace 'p' with 't', 'e' with 'm', and delete the characters 'abc' using maketrans() method.

Example.py

x = "apple"
mapping = x.maketrans('pe', 'tm', 'abc')
result = x.translate(mapping)
print("Original String    :", x)
print("Translated String  :", result)

Output

Original String    : apple
Translated String  : ttlm

Conclusion

In this Python Tutorial, we learned how to create a mapping table for replacing and deleting characters in a string, using String method – maketrans().