Module 4

Indexing

Accessing a single character by position.

Getting one character

You can access a single character of a string using its index: a number that indicates its position. You write the index in square brackets after the string.

Python
seq = "ATGC"
print(seq[0])
print(seq[1])
A T
1A
2T
3G
4C
Each box holds one character. len() counts them.
A common mistake

seq[1] gives the second character, not the first. This is because Python starts counting at zero.

Your task

Access by index

  • Store ATGC and print the first character.