In Python, there are instances when you’d need to delay the execution of certain parts of your code.
Whether for debugging, rate limiting, or simply creating a delay in console output for better user interaction, learning how to pause or delay messages in Python can be quite useful. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use Python’s built-in time module to achieve this.
Step 1: Understanding the Time Module
Python’s time module provides various time-related functions. Among these, the time.sleep() function is used to suspend (delay) execution of the current thread for a given number of seconds.
Step 2: Importing the Time Module
Before you can use the time module, you have to import it into your Python script.
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import time |
Step 3: Delaying Messages
To delay, or pause, the execution of the script, use the time.sleep() function.
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print("This will print immediately.") time.sleep(2) # Sleep/delay for 2 seconds print("This will print after 2 seconds.") |
Full Code
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import time print("This will print immediately.") time.sleep(2) # Sleep/delay for 2 seconds print("This will print after 2 seconds.") |
Expected Output
This will print immediately. This will print after 2 seconds.
This code block introduces a 2-second delay before the second message is printed. You can adjust the delay time as required by changing the argument passed to the time.sleep() function.
Conclusion
Understanding how to introduce delays in your Python code can be quite beneficial. While it can be used for simple tasks such as causing a Python console output to pause for a moment, more complex uses can include rate-limiting API calls and improving debug logs.
Remember, the time module has a lot of other useful time-related functions that could be beneficial in your coding journey. Happy Coding!