What does %s mean in a Python format string?

In Python, %s is a placeholder used in string formatting. It is used to insert a string representation of a value into a larger string. The % operator is used for string formatting, and %s specifies that you want to format a particular value as a string.

Here's a quick example:

name = "Alice" formatted_string = "Hello, %s!" % name print(formatted_string) # Outputs: Hello, Alice! 

In the example above, %s in the string "Hello, %s!" is a placeholder for a string value. The % operator after the string tells Python to replace %s with the value of name.

You can also format multiple values:

name = "Alice" age = 30 formatted_string = "Hello, %s! You are %s years old." % (name, age) print(formatted_string) # Outputs: Hello, Alice! You are 30 years old. 

It's worth noting that while % string formatting is supported in Python, it is somewhat older and less preferred than other string formatting techniques like str.format() and f-strings (formatted string literals, available in Python 3.6 and later). For example:

Using str.format():

formatted_string = "Hello, {}!".format(name) print(formatted_string) # Outputs: Hello, Alice! 

Using f-strings:

formatted_string = f"Hello, {name}!" print(formatted_string) # Outputs: Hello, Alice! 

Despite the availability of newer formatting techniques, the % formatting is still sometimes seen in older code or in situations where the newer techniques aren't available.

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