Python

Python Remove Last Character from String

Strings” are the most important data type in Python, and they can be modified in various ways. When working with strings in Python, it may be necessary to eliminate the final character. This can be used for a variety of reasons, including removing the last character at the end of a string or removing a trailing newline character.

This article explains how to remove/terminate the last character from a Python string utilizing different methods. Some of the methods are listed below:

Method 1: Remove Last Characters From the String Using “List Slicing”

In Python, “List slicing” is a simple and efficient way to remove the last character from a string. As a result, the string is sliced and a new string is returned without the last character.

Syntax

list_name[start:end:step]

Example

The below code is used to remove the last characters from a string:

string_val = "Python Guide"

new_string = string_val[:-1]

print(new_string)

In the above code:

  • The slicing operator “[:-1]” is used to remove the last character from the string.
  • The “[:-1]” notation means to slice the string from the start till the second last character, thereby effectively removing the last character from the string.

Output

In the above output, the final character of the string has been eliminated.

Method 2: Remove Last Characters From the String Using “Loops”

A loop is used to iterate over the string and remove the last character.

Example

The following code is used to remove the last characters from the string:

string_val = "Python Guide"
new_string = ""

for i in range(len(string_val)-1):
  new_string += string_val[i]

print(new_string)

In the above code:

  • The “string” and “empty string” are initialized.
  • The “for loop” is used to iterate over the string and add each character from the original string to the empty string except the last character.

Output

This output demonstrates the removal of the final character from the string.

Method 3: Remove/Eliminate the Final Characters From the Particular String Using the “rstrip()” Function

Python employs the “rstrip()” method to remove/eliminate characters from the end of a specified string. To eliminate the final character of a string, it is provided as an argument to the “rstrip()” function.

Syntax

string.rstrip([characters])

Example

The below code is used to remove the last characters from the string:

string = "Python Guide"

new_string = string.rstrip(string[-1])

print(new_string)

In the above code:

  • The “rstrip()” function removes/eliminates the last character from the particular string by taking the last character of the string as an argument.
  • The “rstrip()” function produced a new string without the last characters.

Output

As shown in the output above, the final character of the string has been eliminated.

Method 4: Remove Last Characters From the String Using “Regex”

Regular expressions” (regex) can be used to match patterns in strings and perform string operations. In Python, the “regex” can be applied to eliminate the final character from a string.

Example

The below code is used to remove the last characters from the string:

import re

string = "Python Guide"

new_string = re.sub(".$", "", string)

print(new_string)

In the above code snippet:

  • The “re.sub()” function from the re module is used to withdraw the last/end character from the particular string. By accepting the “.$” pattern matches, empty string and input string as an argument.
  • The “.$” pattern matches the last character of the string, which is then replaced with an empty string.

Output

As indicated by the output above, the final character has been eliminated from the string.

Method 5: Remove Last Characters From the String Using list(), pop() and join() Methods

The “list()” method is used along with the “pop()” and “join()” methods to convert the string to a list and remove the last element and then convert it back to a string.

Syntax

Here is the syntax for the “list()” method:

list(iterable)

The syntax for the “pop()” method is as follows:

list_name.pop(index)

The syntax for the “join()” method is as follows:

separator.join(iterable)

Example

The following code removes the last characters from the string:

string = "Python Guide"

string_list = list(string)

string_list.pop()

new_string = "".join(string_list)

print(new_string)

In the above lines of code:

  • Firstly, the string is converted to a list using the “list()” method.
  • Secondly, the last/final items/element is removed from the list utilizing the “pop()” method.
  • Lastly, the remaining elements are joined back into a string using the “join()” method

Output

Based on the above output, the last character has been removed from the string.

Method 6: Remove/Terminate the Last Characters From the Particular String Using the “replace()” Method

The “replace()” method can also be utilized to withdraw the final character from an input Python string.

Syntax

The syntax for the “replace()” method is as follows:

string.replace(old, new[, count])

Example

Here is the code for removing the last characters from the string:

string = "Python Guide"

new_string = string.replace(string[-1], "")

print(new_string)

In the preceding code, the “replace()” method is used to substitute the final character of the string with an empty string.

Output

As indicated by the output above, the final character has been eliminated from the string.

Method 7: Remove/Eliminate the Final/Last Characters From the String Using the “translate()” Method

The “translate()” method deletes the final character of a string in Python. The syntax of this method is shown below:

Syntax

The syntax for the “translate()” method is as follows:

string.translate(table[, deletechars])

Example

In the following code, the last characters have been removed:

string = "Python Guide"

new_string = string.translate({ord(string[-1]): None})

print(new_string)

In the above code, the “translate()” method is applied to remove the last character of the string.

Output

This output shows that the final character has been eliminated/removed.

Method 8: Remove the Last Characters From the String Using the “join()” and “List Comprehension” Methods

The “join()” and “list comprehension” methods also terminate the last character of a particular string in Python.

Syntax

The syntax for the “join()” method is as follows:

separator.join(iterable)

The syntax for “list comprehension” is given below:

new_list = [expression for item in iterable if condition]

Example

The below code is used to remove the last characters from a string:

string = "Python Guide"

new_string = ''.join([i for i in string[:-1]])

print(new_string)

In the above code block:

  • The “list comprehension” approach is used to loop through the string and remove the last character.
  • We then utilized the “join()” method to transform the list into a string.

Output

The output shown above indicates that the final character of the string has been deleted.

Conclusion

To remove the last character from a string in Python, several methods such as “List Slicing”, “Loops”, or the “rstrip()” function, etc. are used in Python. These methods are used to terminate/remove the final/last characters from the specified string efficiently.

About the author

Talha Saif Malik

Talha is a contributor at Linux Hint with a vision to bring value and do useful things for the world. He loves to read, write and speak about Linux, Data, Computers and Technology.