Python Constants With Advanced Examples

In this tutorial, you will learn about Python Constants. A constant is a kind of variable that has unchangeable values during execution time. In fact, constants in Python are rarely used. Typically, constants are established and assigned to a unique module or file.

Furthermore, constants have two parts, namely a name and a value. The name will give a clear idea of what the constant is, while the value will give an idea of what the constant looks like in real life.

What is a Constants in python?

In Python, Constant is a type of variable that cannot change its value, for instance constant can be thought as a simple container that holds information that cannot be changed or altered.

In addition, you can think of constants as a bag where you can put books that can’t be taken out again.

Assigning value to Python constant

In Python, assigning a value that supports constants are usually declared and assigned in a module. The module is a new file with variables and functions which is imported into the main file.

Inside the module, constants are written with all capital letters and underscores to separate the words.

For a better understanding of this kind of topic, I will give some examples below.

Also read: Const In Python In Simple Words

Example program for declaring and assigning constant

First is to create constant.py. Inside of the file declared two variables with assigning values.

For example:

HEAT = 26.2

PI = 3.14

The second thing to do is create a constant object and name it a main.py file. You must import the constant library, then call the two variables in the constant.py file.

For example:

import constant

print(constant.HEAT)
print(constant.PI)

Output:

26.2
3.14

Basic rules for naming conventions for variables and constants in Python

Names for Python constants and variables should be a mix of lowercase (a-z) or uppercase (A-Z) letters, numbers (0-9) or an underscore (_). 

For example:

phoneNumber
email_add
NAME
READ_ONLY

For naming convention, you should have to create a name which is unique and related to the data you are assigning.

For example:

Number is more readable and makes more sense than declaring only a (N).

If you want to have two or more words in a variable name, you should put an underscore between them or use a camel case naming convention.

For example:

//underscore
email_add

//camel case naming convention
phoneNumber

If ever, use capital letters to declare a constant for easy identification.

For example:

HEIGHT
WEIGHT
GENDER
NATIONALITY
RELIGION
STATUS

Don’t use special symbols which is hard to familiarize.

For example:

@, !, %, *, #, $, etc.

Finally, don’t make a variable name that starts with a number.

For example:

123number

Global constants in Python

In Python, a global variable is often set at the beginning of the program. In other words, Python variables that are declared outside of a function are called “global variables.”

In addition, a global constant is a literal value that has a name given to it. Like a global variable, you can get the value of a global constant from any script or 4GL procedure in the application to get the object attribute.

For example:

g = 0 # global variable

def add():
    global g
    g = g + 5 # increment by 2
    print("Inside add():", g)

add()
print("In main:", g)

Output:

Inside add(): 5
In main: 5

Deleting variables

In Python, deleting a variable name is easy to get rid of a variable that is not used. To free up space, we can delete any specific variable by typing del “variable name.”

For example:

g = 26
print (g)

del g
print (g)

Concatenating variables

Concatenating variables in Python programming language with different data types is easy. Like a number variable and a Python String variable, we will have to declare the number variable as a string.

Then Python will throw a TypeError if the number variable is not declared as a string variable before it is added to a string variable.

For example:

g = ‘Glenn’
l = 26
print g+l

Another example below will throw a TypeError due to variable g being a string type while variable l is an int type.

To remove this kind of error message, we need to declare the int variable as a string.

For example:

g = ‘Glenn’
l = 26
print(g + str(l))

Output:

Glenn26

Conclusion

I hope this lesson has helped you learn a lot. Check out my previous and latest articles for more life-changing tutorials that could help you a lot.

Related Python Tutorials

Common use cases for Python Constants With Advanced Examples

  • Data pipelines. Python is the standard for ETL, data analysis, and ML workflows.
  • Web development. Django and FastAPI power modern web backends and APIs.
  • Automation and scripting. System administration, file processing, web scraping, and cron jobs.
  • Machine learning. scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face for AI/ML projects.
  • Educational tools. Python’s readability makes it the go-to teaching language.

Working code example

from typing import Optional

def process_data(items: list[dict]) -> Optional[dict]:
    """Process a list of items and return summary stats."""
    if not items:
        return None
    return {
        "count": len(items),
        "total": sum(item.get("value", 0) for item in items),
        "avg": sum(item.get("value", 0) for item in items) / len(items),
    }

# Usage
data = [{"value": 10}, {"value": 20}, {"value": 30}]
summary = process_data(data)
print(summary)  # {'count': 3, 'total': 60, 'avg': 20.0}

Best practices

  • Use type hints. list[dict], Optional[str], and TypedDict make code self-documenting and enable static analysis.
  • Follow PEP 8. Consistent style improves readability. Use black or ruff to auto-format.
  • Prefer f-strings. f”{value}” is cleaner than str.format() or % formatting.
  • Write tests with pytest. Aim for 70%+ coverage on business-critical modules.
  • Use ruff or pylint. Static analysis catches many bugs before code runs.

Common pitfalls

  • Mutable default arguments. def f(x=[]) reuses the same list across calls. Use x=None then check.
  • Integer division. 5/2 gives 2.5 in Python 3. Use // for floor division.
  • Missing self on methods. Class methods need self as first parameter.
  • Late binding closures. Loops that create lambdas can capture variables late.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Python version does this tutorial target?
This tutorial targets Python 3.10 or higher. Most examples work on 3.8+, but newer features (match statements, pipe union types, structural pattern matching) need 3.10+. For deep learning content, Python 3.11 is recommended for best performance.
How do I install Python for this tutorial?
Download Python 3.11 or higher from python.org. On Windows, tick ‘Add to PATH’ during install. On Mac use Homebrew (brew install python). On Linux use your package manager or pyenv for version management.
Do I need pip and virtual environments?
Yes. pip comes with Python. For any project beyond a single script, create a virtual environment: python -m venv venv, then activate and pip install dependencies. This keeps project libraries isolated.
Can I use this in a Jupyter notebook or Google Colab?
Most examples run in both. Colab is great for ML tutorials since it provides free GPU access. Jupyter is better for local iterative development. Just paste the code into a cell and run.
Where can I find more Python practice projects?
Browse itsourcecode.com Python Projects for 250+ free capstone-ready systems (sentiment analysis, image classification, chatbots, LangChain apps). Each includes full source code, dataset links, and installation instructions.

Caren Bautista


Technical Writer at PIES IT Solution

Responsible for crafting clear, well-structured, and beginner-friendly content across the platform. Handles the writing, proofreading, and editorial review of tutorials, guides, and documentation to ensure every article is accurate, readable, and easy to follow.

Expertise: Technical Writing · Content Creation · Documentation · Editorial Writing · JavaScript · TypeScript · Python · Python Errors · HTTP Errors · MS Excel
 · View all posts by Caren Bautista →

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