Python range() Function

The Python range type generates a sequence of integers by defining a start and the end point of the range. It is generally used with the for loop to iterate over a sequence of numbers.

range() works differently in Python 2 and 3.

In Python 2, there are two functions that allow you to generate a sequence of integers, range and xrange. These functions are very similar, with the main difference being that range returns a list, and xrange returns an xrange object.

In Python 3, the xrange function has been dropped, and the range function behaves similarly to the Python 2 xrange. Python 3 range is not a function but rather a type that represents an immutable sequence of numbers.

In this article, we will cover the basics of the Python 3 range type.

Python range() syntax #

The range constructor takes the following forms:

range(stop)
range(start, stop[, step])

The arguments provided to the range constructor must be integers. Floating numbers and other types are not allowed.

range takes one required and two optional arguments. It returns a range object that represents the given range and generates the numbers on demand.

Python range(stop) #

When only one argument is given, range returns a sequence of numbers, incremented by 1, starting from 0 to stop - 1.

Here’s the range type in action:

for i in range(5):
    print(i)

The generated sequence of numbers starts from 0 and ends with 4 (5-1):

0
1
2
3
4

If the argument is 0 or a negative integer range returns an empty sequence:

print(list(range(-5)))

We’re converting the range object to a list because range does a lazy evaluation of the integer sequence. The output is an empty list:

[]

Python range(start, stop) #

When two arguments are provided, range returns a sequence of numbers, incremented by 1, starting from start to stop - 1.

Here is an example:

for i in range(3, 5):
    print(i)

3
4

The stop argument must be greater than start. Otherwise, the sequence is empty:

print(list(range(5, 3)))

[]

You can use 0, positive and negative integers as arguments:

print(list(range(-5, -3)))

[-5, -4]

print(list(range(-3, 0)))

[-3, -2, -1]

Python range(start, stop, step) #

When three arguments are given, range returns a sequence of numbers, incremented or decremented by step, starting from start to stop - 1.

If step is positive, range returns a sequence that increments:

for i in range(0, 26, 5):
    print(i)

0
5
10
15
20
25

When incrementing, the stop argument must be greater than start. Otherwise, the sequence is empty.

If step is negative, range returns a sequence that decrements:

for i in range(20, 4, -5):
    print(i)

20
15
10
5

When decrementing, the stop argument must be less than start. Otherwise, the sequence is empty.

If step is 0 a ValueError exception is raised:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
ValueError: range() arg 3 must not be zero

Conclusion #

The Python range type allows you to generate a sequence of integers. It is mostly used in for loops.

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment.