The Walrus Operator: Python 3.8 Assignment Expressions

Each new version of Python adds new features to the language. For Python 3.8, the biggest change is the addition of assignment expressions. Specifically, the := operator gives you a new syntax for assigning variables in the middle of expressions. This operator is colloquially known as the walrus operator.

This tutorial is an in-depth introduction to the walrus operator. You will learn some of the motivations for the syntax update and explore some examples where assignment expressions can be useful.

Note that all walrus operator examples in this tutorial require Python 3.8 or later to work.