Unpacking elements from iterables of arbitrary length

unpacking_arbitrary.py

grades = [5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

first, *middle, last = grades

print(first) # 5
print(last) # 9
print(middle) # [6, 7, 8]

# The variable associated with * will always be a list
# We also can't use two * expression like:
first, *middle, *last = grades # this will get an error

# More complex example
data = ('Ravi', 21, (5, 12, 1996))

# We need only name and year from data
name, *_, (*_, year) = data

print(name) # Ravi
print(year) # 1996