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Python Tuple index() Method

Learn how to use the index() method in Python tuples to find the position of an element, handle errors when the item is missing, and limit searches with start and end parameters.

The Tuple index() method finds the position of the first occurrence of the given element in the tuple.

If specified item is not found, it raises ValueError exception.

The optional arguments start and end can be used to limit the search to a particular subsequence of the tuple.

Syntax

my_tuple.index(item, start, end)

index() Parameters

Python Tuple index() method parameters:

Parameter Condition Description
item Required Any item (of type string, list, set, etc.) you want to search for
start Optional An index specifying where to start the search. Default value is 0.
end Optional An index specifying where to stop the search. Default value is the end of the list.

index() Return Value

Python Tuple index() method returns the index of the given element in the tuple.

Examples

Example 1: Get index of given Element in a Tuple

If the given element is contained in the tuple, then index() method returns the index of the first occurrence:

my_tuple = ('Tom', 'Anna', 'David', 'Ryan')
result = my_tuple.index('Anna')
print(result) # Output: 1

output

1

If the given element is not found in the tuple, then index() method raises ValueError exception.

my_tuple = ('Tom', 'Anna', 'David', 'Ryan')
result = my_tuple.index(123) # Raises ValueError: tuple.index(x): x not in tuple

output

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "main.py", line 2, in <module>
    result = my_tuple.index(123)
ValueError: tuple.index(x): x not in tuple

If the tuple has many instances of the specified item, the index() method returns the index of first instance only.

my_tuple = ('Tom', 'Anna', 'David', 'Anna', 'Ryan')
result = my_tuple.index('Anna')
print(result) # Output: 1

output

1

Example 2: Get index of given Element in a Tuple with start and end indexes

If you want to limit the search to a sub-portion of the given tuple, you can specify the start parameter and/or the end parameter.

my_tuple = ('a','b','c','d','e','f','a','b','c','d','e','f')
element = "c"

result = my_tuple.index(element)       
print(result) # Output: 2

result = my_tuple.index(element, 4)
print(result) # Output: 8

result = my_tuple.index(element, 4, 6) 
print(result) # Raises ValueError: tuple.index(x): x not in tuple

output

2
8
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "main.py", line 13, in <module>
    result = my_tuple.index(sub, 4, 6) 
ValueError: tuple.index(x): x not in tuple

Example 3: Handling ValueError of index() method

You can handle the ValueError exception using a try-except block.

my_tuple = ('Tom', 'David', 'Ryan')
element = "Anna"

try:
    index = my_tuple.index(element)
    print("The index where the element is found:", index)
except ValueError:
    print("The element does not exist in the tuple.")

output

The substring does not exist in the tuple.

Alternatively, you can check if item exists in a tuple, using in operator inside if statement.

my_tuple = ('Tom', 'David', 'Ryan')
element = "Anna"

try:
    index = my_tuple.index(element)
    print("The index where the element is found:", index)
except ValueError:
    print("The element does not exist in the tuple.")

output

The substring does not exist in the tuple.
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