In Python, the str.startswith() method is used to check whether a string starts with a specified substring. This method returns True if the string starts with the specified substring and False otherwise.

Syntax

str.startswith(prefix[, start[, end]])

• prefix: A string or a tuple of strings to check against the beginning of the string.
• start (optional): The starting index from which to check the prefix. If omitted, the check starts from the beginning of the string.
• end (optional): The ending index up to which to check the prefix. If omitted, the check goes to the end of the string.

Example Usage

1. Basic usage:

text = "Hello, world!"
result = text.startswith("Hello")
print(result)  # Output: True

2. Using start and end parameters:

text = "Hello, world!"
result = text.startswith("world", 7)  # Check starting from index 7
print(result)  # Output: True

result = text.startswith("Hello", 0, 5)  # Check within index range 0 to 5
print(result)  # Output: True

3. Checking multiple prefixes:

text = "Hello, world!"
result = text.startswith(("Hi", "Hello"))
print(result)  # Output: True

Summary

• Use str.startswith() to determine if a string begins with a specific substring.
• It can also check for multiple prefixes and allows for optional starting and ending indices to refine the check.