Python Operator Usage Notes
In Python 2.X only, value inequality can be written as either X != Y or X <> Y. In Python 3.X, the latter of these options is removed because it is redundant.
In Python 2.X only, a backquotes expression `X` works the same as repr(X), and converts objects to display strings. In Python 3.X, use the more readable str() and repr() built-in functions instead.
In both Python 3.X and 2.X, the X // Y floor division expression always truncates fractional remainders, and returns an integer result for integers.
The X / Y expression performs true division in 3.X (always retaining remainders in a floating-point result), and classic division in 2.X (truncating remainders for integers) unless 3.X’s true division is enabled in 2.X with from __future__ import division or Python option -Qnew.
The syntax [….] is used for both list literals and list comprehension expressions. The latter of these performs an implied loop and collects expression results in a new list.
The syntax (….) is used for tuples and expressions, as well as generator expressions — a form of list comprehension that produces results on demand, instead of building a result list. Parentheses may sometimes be omitted in all three constructs. When a tuple’s parentheses are omitted, the comma separating its items acts like a lowest-precedence operator if not otherwise significant.
The syntax {….} is used for dictionary literals. In Python 3.X and 2.7, it is also used for set literals, and both dictionary and set comprehensions; use set() and looping statements in 2.6 and earlier.
The yield and ternary if/else selection expressions are available in Python 2.5 and later. The former returns send() arguments in generators; the latter is a shorthand for a multiline if statement. yield requires parentheses if not alone on the right side of an assignment statement.
Comparison operators may be chained: X < Y < Z produces the same result as X < Y and Y < Z, but Y is evaluated only once in the chained form.
The slice expression X[i:j:k] is equivalent to indexing with a slice object: X[slice(i, j, k)].
In Python 2.X, magnitude comparisons of mixed types are allowed — converting numbers to a common type, and ordering other mixed types according to the type name. In Python 3.X, nonnumeric mixed-type magnitude comparisons are not allowed and raise exceptions; this includes sorts by proxy.
Magnitude comparisons for dictionaries are also no longer supported in Python 3.X (although equality tests are); comparing sorted(adict.items()) is one possible replacement in 3.X.
Call expressions allow for positional and keyword arguments, and arbitrarily large numbers of both; see The Expression Statement and The def Statement for call syntax.
Python 3.X allows ellipsis (literally, …, and known by built-in name Ellipsis) to be used as an atomic expression anywhere in source code. This may be used as an alternative to pass or None in some contexts (e.g., stubbed-out function bodies, type-independent variable initialization).
Although uncertain at this writing, Python 3.5 or later may generalize the *X and **X star syntax to appear in data structure literals and comprehensions, where it will unpack collections into individual items, much as it currently does in function calls. See The Assignment Statement for more details.