`pprint`

The Python pprint module provides the capability to pretty-print data structures in a readable and easy-to-understand way. This module is particularly useful for displaying complex data structures in a human-friendly format and for visualizing nested lists, dictionaries, and other objects.

Here’s a quick example:

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>>> import pprint
>>> data = [
...     {"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "job": "Engineer"},
...     {"name": "Bob", "age": 25, "job": "Writer"}
... ]

>>> pprint.pprint(data)
[{'age': 30, 'job': 'Engineer', 'name': 'Alice'},
 {'age': 25, 'job': 'Writer', 'name': 'Bob'}]

Key Features

Formats data structures to be more readable
Supports nested data structures
Configurable depth and width for output

Frequently Used Classes and Functions

Object	Type	Description
`pprint.pprint()`	Function	Prints a formatted representation of an object
`pprint.PrettyPrinter`	Class	Provides advanced pretty-printing options
`pprint.pformat()`	Function	Returns a formatted representation of an object as a string

Examples

Use pprint.pformat() to get a pretty-printed string:

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>>> from pprint import pformat

>>> data = [
...     {"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "job": "Engineer"},
...     {"name": "Bob", "age": 25, "job": "Writer"}
... ]

>>> formatted_data = pformat(data)
>>> print(formatted_data)
[{'age': 30, 'job': 'Engineer', 'name': 'Alice'},
 {'age': 25, 'job': 'Writer', 'name': 'Bob'}]

Customize output with PrettyPrinter:

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>>> from pprint import PrettyPrinter
>>> pp = PrettyPrinter(indent=4)
>>> pp.pprint(data)
[   {'age': 30, 'job': 'Engineer', 'name': 'Alice'},
    {'age': 25, 'job': 'Writer', 'name': 'Bob'}]

Common Use Cases

Displaying complex data structures for debugging purposes
Logging structured data in a readable format
Formatting output for reports or presentations

Real-World Example

Suppose you have a deeply nested dictionary and you want to log it in a readable format for debugging:

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>>> import pprint

>>> config = {
...     "version": 1,
...     "settings": {
...         "logging": {
...             "level": "debug",
...             "handlers": ["console", "file"]
...         },
...         "database": {
...             "host": "localhost",
...             "port": 5432
...         }
...     }
... }

>>> pprint.pprint(config)
{'settings': {'database': {'host': 'localhost', 'port': 5432},
              'logging': {'handlers': ['console', 'file'], 'level': 'debug'}},
 'version': 1}

In this example, pprint() displays a nested configuration dictionary in a structured and readable format, making it easier to understand the configuration details at a glance.

Using Pretty Print in Python to Prettify Data Structures

Tutorial

Prettify Your Data Structures With Pretty Print in Python

The pprint module, Python's data pretty printer, is a useful part of the standard library. You can work with it for debugging data structures and increasing the readability of your output. In this tutorial, you'll find that pprint is both straightforward to use and also highly customizable.

intermediate python

For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources: