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Splitting on last delimiter in Python string?

python
string-manipulation
edge-cases
delimiter-handling
Anton ShumikhinbyAnton Shumikhin·Mar 7, 2025
TLDR

Ever chased a Python? Know where the tail is? We will do the same with Python strings, amputating from the tail using rsplit():

text = "a,b,c,d" # chopping off from the tail, Ouch! before, after = text.rsplit(',', 1) print(before) # 'a,b,c' print(after) # 'd'

This method quickly bisects into two parts: left with everything before and right with the substring after the last delimiter. The tail, right?

Edge Case Handling

Going fast and furious with rsplit()? Don't crash into the edge cases!

  • No Delimiter Way Out: When your text turns into a desert with no Oases (read delimiters), rsplit() turns the mirage into a list with your string as a lone wanderer, sound and safe:
text = "abc" # Oops! No oasis in sight 🏜️ parts = text.rsplit(',', 1) # ['abc']
  • The Delimiter Cliff: Hit the end of the world with a delimiter at the very end? Get ready for an empty string free fall:
text = "a,b,c," # cliffhanger delimiter at the end! before, after = text.rsplit(',', 1) print(after == '') # True, it's a void!

For such tricky terrains, use a custom lifeguard function to carefully bring down the trailing delimiter.

Missile Missing In Action?

Struggling with MIA (Missing-In-Action) delimiters? str.rpartition() to the rescue! This crafty function hands you a 3-piece tuple goodie bag with everything before, the delimiter and everything after, no strings attached!

text = "a,b,c" # Checking the missing and the found before, delimiter, after = text.rpartition(',') print(before) # 'a,b' print(after) # 'c'

Even when the delimiter goes AWOL, rpartition() provides for the missing with an empty string as the guard of the first position.

Tail Delimiter Surgery

Got a tail delimiter blocking your way? Cut it off with a custom surgical procedure!

def split_last_delimiter(text, delimiter): # Detect and remove tailblock if text.endswith(delimiter): text = text[:-len(delimiter)] # Regular split after surgery return text.rsplit(delimiter, 1)

This incorporates a pre-check for trailing delimiter and smartly schedules it for surgery before the split.

Reversals: Handle with Care!

str[::-1] pulling you with its charm? Watch out for the landmines of Unicode and multi-byte characters that could blow up! For safe traversal from the string's end, rsplit() and rpartition() are your trusty landmine detectors.