Python .startswith()

The .startswith() method in Python checks whether a string begins with a specified value and returns True if it does. Otherwise, it returns False. This method is useful in many scenarios, such as parsing data, filtering results, validating input, or processing text files.

Syntax

string.startswith(value, start, end)

Parameters:

• string: The input string against which to check the given value.
• value: A string or tuple of strings to check for in the input string.
• start (Optional): The position in the input string where the search starts.
• end (Optional): The position in the input string where the search ends.

Return Value:

The .startswith() method returns True if the input string starts with the given value and False if it happens otherwise.

Example 1: .startswith() Without start and end Parameters

The following example uses the Python .startswith() method without the start and end parameters to check if the input string starts with the given string:

# Create a string
string = "Coding is fun!"

# Check if the input string starts with "Coding"
res = string.startswith("Coding")

# Print the result
print(res)

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Since string starts with “Coding”, the above code produces the following output:

True

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Example 2: .startswith() with start and end Parameters

The following example uses .startswith() in Python with the start and end parameters to check if the given range of indices in the input string starts with the given string:

# Create a string
string = "Python is a popular programming language."

# Check if indices 12-24 in the input string starts with "popular"
res = string.startswith("popular", 12, 24)

# Print the result
print(res)

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Since indices 12-24 in string starts with “popular”, the above code produces the following output:

True

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Codebyte Example: .startswith() with a Tuple of Strings

The following codebyte example uses the Python .startswith() method to determine if the input string starts with any of the strings in the given tuple:

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Since string starts with “Codecademy”, the output for the above code will be True.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do .endswith() and .startswith() differ?

.startswith() checks if a given string starts with a specific value, whereas .endswith() checks if a given string ends with a specific value.

2. Is .startswith() case-sensitive?

Yes, .startswith() is case-sensitive.

3. What happens if the prefix in .startswith() is longer than the input string?

If the prefix in .startswith() is longer than the input string, the method returns False.