itertools.zip_longest()
itertools.zip_longest() is a Python function in the Itertools Module category. Like zip but fills missing values with fillvalue for the shortest iterables. The syntax is itertools.zip_longest(*iterables, fillvalue=None). Parameters: *iterables, fillvalue. Returns: Iterator of tuples. A typical example: list(zip_longest([1,2], ["a","b","c"]))
# [(1,"a"), (2,"b"), (None,"c")]. A close sibling is itertools.chain(), which creates an iterator that returns elements from the first iterable until exhausted, then proceeds to the next. A close sibling is itertools.chain.from_iterable(), which alternative chain that takes a single iterable of iterables. A close sibling is itertools.product(), which cartesian product of input iterables (like nested for-loops). A close sibling is itertools.permutations(), which returns all possible r-length ordered arrangements of elements. More about this category: Iterator building blocks — chain, product, permutations, combinations, groupby. For a broader walkthrough, read the Itertools Module guide. Related Itertools Module entries: itertools.chain(), itertools.chain.from_iterable(), itertools.product(), itertools.permutations(), itertools.combinations(), itertools.combinations_with_replacement().