Python String splitlines() With Examples [Latest]

Python String splitlines() function returns the list of lines in the string. The line boundaries are not included in the string, unless we provide keepends argument value as True.

Python String splitlines()

The following table shows the characters that are treated as line boundary by splitlines() function.

Python String split into lines

Let’s look into some examples of splitlines() function.

s="JavanPythonnAndroid"
lines = s.splitlines()
print(lines)
lines = s.splitlines(keepends=True)
print(lines)

Output:

['Java', 'Python', 'Android']
['Javan', 'Pythonn', 'Android']

Let’s look at another example with a combination of line feed and carriage return characters.

s="JavannnnPythonnrnAndroid"  # rn is treated as a single line boundary
lines = s.splitlines()
print(lines)
lines = s.splitlines(keepends=True)
print(lines)

Output:

['Java', '', '', '', 'Python', '', 'Android']
['Javan', 'n', 'n', 'n', 'Pythonn', 'rn', 'Android']

If you get confused with the output from splitlines() function, test it with keepends as True to understand how the split is performed.

Finally, let’s look into some examples with different separator characters.

s="AtBvCfD"
lines = s.splitlines()
print(lines)
lines = s.splitlines(keepends=True)
print(lines)
s="Ax1cBx1dCx1eDx85Eu2028Fu2029G"
lines = s.splitlines()
print(lines)
lines = s.splitlines(keepends=True)
print(lines)

Output:

['AtB', 'C', 'D']
['AtBx0b', 'Cx0c', 'D']
['A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', 'G']
['Ax1c', 'Bx1d', 'Cx1e', 'Dx85', 'Eu2028', 'Fu2029', 'G']

Python String split() vs splitlines()

• We can specify separator in split() function, splitlines() is only meant to split string into list of lines.
• There are slight difference in the split() and splitlines() function working. Let’s see that with examples:

  
  print("".split('n'))
  print("".splitlines())
  print("Hin".split('n'))
  print("Hin".splitlines())
  

  Output:

  
  ['']
  []
  ['Hi', '']
  ['Hi']
  

  So with line break as separator, split() returns empty string in the list whereas splitlines() returns empty list.

Official Documentation: partition()