Slice

Overview

The Slice Block is used to extract a portion of a list or string based on configured start and end indexes. The Block slices the input according to these indexes and outputs the sliced result. It can handle both lists and strings, making it versatile for various slicing operations.

By default, the start index is set to 0, and the end index is set to 0, which means no slicing will occur unless the indexes are adjusted.

Description

Slices a list or string using the configured start and end indexes

Metadata

• Category: Function

Configuration Options

Name	Data Type	Description	Default Value
start	int		0
end	int		0

Inputs

Name	Data Type	Description
items	list[Any] or str

Outputs

Name	Data Type	Description
items	list[Any] or str

State Variables

No state variables available.

Example(s)

Example 1: Slice a list of numbers

• Create a Slice Block.
• Set the start index to 1 and the end index to 3.
• Provide the input list: [10, 20, 30, 40].
• The Block will output [20, 30] (elements from index 1 to 3, not including 3).

Example 2: Slice a string

• Set up a Slice Block.
• Set the start index to 0 and the end index to 5.
• Provide the input string: "Hello World".
• The Block will output "Hello".

Example 3: Handle an empty slice

• Create a Slice Block.
• Leave the default values for start and end.
• Provide the input list: [1, 2, 3, 4].
• Since the start and end values are 0, the Block will return an empty list [].

Error Handling

• The Slice Block expects a valid list or string as input. If an invalid type (such as a number) is provided, the Block may raise an error.
• If the start or end index is out of range, Python's slicing behavior will handle this gracefully by adjusting the slice to fit within the bounds of the input.

FAQ

What happens if the start or end index is out of range?

Python handles out-of-range indexes gracefully. If the start or end index is beyond the length of the input, the Block will adjust the slice to fit within the available items. For example, if the input list has 4 items and the end index is set to 10, the Block will return up to the end of the list.

Can I use negative indexes for slicing?

Yes, the Slice Block supports negative indexes, which allow you to count from the end of the list or string. For example, setting the start index to -3 and the end index to -1 will slice the last two items from the input.

What happens if the end index is less than the start index?

If the end index is less than the start index, the Block will return an empty list or string, as there are no valid items to slice in this range.

Can I slice both lists and strings with this Block?

Yes, the Slice Block can handle both lists and strings. It will return a sliced portion of the input, whether it's a list or a string, based on the specified start and end indexes.