5.13.1 Set Objects

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5.13.1 Set Objects

Instances of `Set` and `ImmutableSet` both provide the following operations:

Operation | Equivalent | Result
--- | --- | ---
`len(s)` |  | cardinality of set s

`x in s` |  | test x for membership in s
`x not in s` |  | test x for non-membership in s
`s.issubset(t)` | `s <= t` | test whether every element in s is in t
`s.issuperset(t)` | `s >= t` | test whether every element in t is in s

`s.union(t)` | s | t | new set with elements from both s and t
`s.intersection(t)` | s & t | new set with elements common to s and t
`s.difference(t)` | s - t | new set with elements in s but not in t
`s.symmetric_difference(t)` | s ^ t | new set with elements in either s or t but not both
`s.copy()` |  | new set with a shallow copy of s

Note, the non-operator versions of `union()`, `intersection()`, `difference()`, and `symmetric_difference()` will accept any iterable as an argument. In contrast, their operator based counterparts require their arguments to be sets. This precludes error-prone constructions like `Set('abc') & 'cbs'` in favor of the more readable `Set('abc').intersection('cbs')`. Changed in version 2.3.1: Formerly all arguments were required to be sets.

In addition, both `Set` and `ImmutableSet` support set to set comparisons. Two sets are equal if and only if every element of each set is contained in the other (each is a subset of the other). A set is less than another set if and only if the first set is a proper subset of the second set (is a subset, but is not equal). A set is greater than another set if and only if the first set is a proper superset of the second set (is a superset, but is not equal).

The subset and equality comparisons do not generalize to a complete ordering function. For example, any two disjoint sets are not equal and are not subsets of each other, so all of the following return `False`: `a<b`, `a==b`, or `a>b`. Accordingly, sets do not implement the `__cmp__` method.

Since sets only define partial ordering (subset relationships), the output of the `list.sort()` method is undefined for lists of sets.

The following table lists operations available in `ImmutableSet` but not found in `Set`:

Operation | Result
--- | ---
`hash(s)` | returns a hash value for s

The following table lists operations available in `Set` but not found in `ImmutableSet`:

Operation | Equivalent | Result
--- | --- | ---
`s.union_update(t)` | s |= t | return set s with elements added from t
`s.intersection_update(t)` | s &= t | return set s keeping only elements also found in t
`s.difference_update(t)` | s -= t | return set s after removing elements found in t
`s.symmetric_difference_update(t)` | s ^= t | return set s with elements from s or t but not both

`s.add(x)` |  | add element x to set s
`s.remove(x)` |  | remove x from set s; raises KeyError if not present
`s.discard(x)` |  | removes x from set s if present
`s.pop()` |  | remove and return an arbitrary element from s; raises KeyError if empty
`s.clear()` |  | remove all elements from set s

Note, the non-operator versions of `union_update()`, `intersection_update()`, `difference_update()`, and `symmetric_difference_update()` will accept any iterable as an argument. Changed in version 2.3.1: Formerly all arguments were required to be sets.