reprlib Module¶
The reprlib module provides an alternative repr() implementation that produces more readable representations of objects, especially useful for long lists or nested structures.
Complexity Reference¶
| Operation | Time | Space | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
repr() |
O(n) | O(n) | n = visible characters |
| Truncation | O(1) | O(1) | Configurable limit |
Creating Readable Representations¶
Truncating Long Outputs¶
import reprlib
# Create repr with limits - O(n)
repr_obj = reprlib.Repr()
repr_obj.maxlist = 3 # Max list items
repr_obj.maxstring = 20 # Max string length
# Generate representation - O(n)
long_list = list(range(100))
result = repr_obj.repr(long_list)
print(result)
# [0, 1, 2, ...]
long_string = "x" * 1000
result = repr_obj.repr(long_string)
print(result)
# 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'...
Default Shorthand¶
import reprlib
# Using default repr - O(n)
large_dict = {i: i**2 for i in range(1000)}
print(reprlib.repr(large_dict))
# {0: 0, 1: 1, 2: 4, ...}