35 Essential Python Tricks Every Developer Should Know

Since I started learning Python, I began compiling a collection of handy Python tricks. Whenever I encounter cool code on Stack Overflow or in open‑source projects, I try it, understand the idea, and add it to my collection.

1.1 Unpacking

1.2 Variable swapping with unpacking

1.3 Extended unpacking (Python 3 only)

1.4 Negative indexing

1.5 List slicing

1.6 List slicing with negative indices

1.7 List slicing with a step

1.8 List slicing with a negative step

1.9 List slicing assignment

1.10 Named list slicing

1.11 List and iterator compression / decompression

1.12 Adjacent element compressor for lists

1.13 Sliding window over a list using compressors and iterators

1.14 Reverse a dictionary using a compressor

1.15 List expansion

1.16 Generator expressions

1.17 Dictionary comprehensions

1.18 Reverse a dictionary using a comprehension

1.19 Named tuples

1.20 Inheriting from named tuples

1.21 Set operations

1.22 Multiset operations

1.23 Most common element in an iterable

1.24 Double‑ended queue (deque)

1.25 Bounded length deque

1.26 Sorted dictionary

1.27 Default dictionary

1.28 Simple tree representation of a default dict

1.29 Object to unique count mapping

1.30 Largest and smallest elements in a list

1.31 Cartesian product of two lists

1.32 List combinations and element replacement combinations

1.33 Permutations of list elements

1.34 Chainable iterators

1.35 Grouping by column from a file