Python2 and Python3

Some of us still uses the final version 2.7 of Python 2 which was released in 2010, as Python2 will not be maintained after 2020, so it is a great time to switch to Python3 and accept it with the new changes.

Here I have listed the few changes which I came to know when I started using Python3.

1. Print Function

It was the first change which I came to know, that now the use of parenthesis is must for print as its now treated as function than a statement.

Python2 >>> print “hello world”

Python3 >>>print (“hello world”)

2. Raw_input deprecated

Python2 have two methods to read input from keyboard input and raw_input

In Python3 we only have input( ) and everything is treated as string.

Python2 >>> x = raw_input “hello”

Python3 >>> x = input(“hello”)

3. Integer Division

In Python2 result was rounded to nearest integer for 5/2 and getting a floating result have to give float type integer as 5.0/2.0

In Python3 5/2 result by default it result in float type if result is of float type.

Python2 >>> 5/2 = 2

             >>>5.0/2.0 = 2.5

Python3 >>> 5/2 = 2.5

4. Unicode String

In Python2 we need to type u if we want to store a string as Unicode.
print type(unicode("this is a unicode type")
<type "unicode">
print type(b"this is sting")
<type "str">

In Python3 it is stored as Unicode by default.
All the strings are now Unicode by default and you have to mark byte sequence with b. 

5. range( ) and xrange( )

In Python2 there were two functions range( ) and xrange( ).
Range retuen a list of integers and xrange return xrange object.

In Python3 only range( ) is there.
xrange( ) replaced with range( ).

6. Handling exceptions

In Python2 argument to exception can be declared without using keyword “as”.

In Python2 argument to exception declaration needs “as” keyword.

Python2 >>> except TypeError, err

Python3 >>> except TypeError as err

and there are more changes, but these were the major one I think which I have noticed till now while coding, so will go through the rest also, once I will use them in my code.