Python String rjust() Method

The rjust() method in Python is used to right-justify a string within a given width. This method pads the original string with a specified character (default is a space) to ensure that the resulting string reaches the desired width. It is particularly useful for formatting output to align text in a visually appealing manner.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. rjust() Method Syntax
3. Understanding rjust()
4. Examples
   • Basic Usage
   • Using Different Padding Characters
5. Real-World Use Case
6. Conclusion

Introduction

The rjust() method allows you to right-justify a string within a specified width by padding it with a specified character. This is particularly useful for creating formatted output where text needs to be aligned to the right with a consistent width.

rjust() Method Syntax

The syntax for the rjust() method is as follows:

str.rjust(width[, fillchar])

Parameters:

• width: The desired width of the resulting string. If the width is less than the length of the original string, no padding is added.
• fillchar (optional): The character to use for padding. Default is a space (' ').

Returns:

• A new string that is right-justified within the specified width, padded with the specified fill character.

Understanding rjust()

The rjust() method pads the original string with the specified fill character to the left, ensuring the resulting string has the desired width. If the specified width is less than or equal to the length of the original string, the original string is returned without any modifications.

Examples

Basic Usage

To demonstrate the basic usage of rjust(), we will right-justify a string within a specified width using spaces as the padding character.

Example

text = "Hello"
right_justified_text = text.rjust(10)
print("Right-justified text:", right_justified_text)

Output:

Right-justified text:      Hello

Using Different Padding Characters

This example shows how to use the rjust() method with a different padding character, such as a hyphen.

Example

text = "Hello"
right_justified_text = text.rjust(10, '-')
print("Right-justified text with hyphens:", right_justified_text)

Output:

Right-justified text with hyphens: -----Hello

Real-World Use Case

Creating Aligned Columns

In real-world applications, the rjust() method can be used to create aligned columns for text-based output, ensuring that data is presented in a readable format.

Example

headers = ["Name", "Age", "City"]
data = [
    ["Ramesh", "23", "Mumbai"],
    ["Prabas", "34", "Hyderabad"],
    ["Raj", "28", "Bangalore"]
]

# Print headers
header_line = " | ".join([header.rjust(10) for header in headers])
print(header_line)
print("-" * len(header_line))

# Print data
for row in data:
    row_line = " | ".join([item.rjust(10) for item in row])
    print(row_line)

Output:

      Name |        Age |       City
------------------------------------
    Ramesh |         23 |     Mumbai
    Prabas |         34 |  Hyderabad
       Raj |         28 |  Bangalore

Conclusion

The rjust() method in Python is used for right-justifying strings within a specified width by padding them with a specified character. By using this method, you can easily create formatted and aligned text output, which can be particularly helpful for generating reports, tables, and other text-based data presentations in your Python applications.