How to Use an ASCII Table in Python

In the world of programming, understanding how to use various tools can greatly enhance your efficiency and expand your coding capabilities.

One tool frequently encountered by Python developers is the ASCII table, which helps in the conversion of characters to their ASCII values and vice versa. This tutorial will guide you on how to use the ASCII table in Python.

What is ASCII?

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a standard that assigns numbers to characters so that they can be encoded and recognized by computers. It includes both control characters and printable characters. Each ASCII character corresponds to a unique integer, ranging from 0 to 127.

Accessing ASCII Values in Python

Python provides the function ord() to access the ASCII value of a particular character. This function takes a string argument of a single character and returns its corresponding ASCII value. Let’s see how we can use it.

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char = 'A'
ascii_value = ord(char)
print("The ASCII value of '{0}' is {1}".format(char, ascii_value))

Converting ASCII Values to Characters in Python

On the flip side, if we have an ASCII value, and we want to convert that value back to its corresponding character, Python provides the function chr(). This function takes an integer as input and returns the corresponding ASCII character.

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ascii_value = 65
char = chr(ascii_value)
print("The character that corresponds to ASCII value {0} is '{1}'".format(ascii_value, char))

Full Code

Here is the full code where we apply both the conversions mentioned above.

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char = 'A'
ascii_value = ord(char)
print("The ASCII value of '{0}' is {1}".format(char, ascii_value))
 
ascii_value = 65
char = chr(ascii_value)
print("The character that corresponds to ASCII value {0} is '{1}'".format(ascii_value, char))
 
The ASCII value of 'A' is 65
The character that corresponds to ASCII value 65 is 'A'

Conclusion

Learning how to use the ASCII table in Python increases your ability to manipulate strings and explore more advanced concepts like encryption or encoding.

With knowledge of the ord() and chr() functions, you’re now equipped to work with ASCII values easily.

Remember, each character on the keyboard corresponds to an ASCII value, and by understanding how to convert these values to characters and vice versa, you can create more robust and versatile Python applications.