Python locale.strcoll() Function

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The Python locale.strcoll() function is used to compare two strings according to the current locale settings. This function provides locale-aware string comparisons, which are essential for sorting and ordering strings in a way that respects linguistic rules.

It is particularly useful when working with internationalized applications that require proper collation of strings.

Syntax

Following is the syntax of the Python locale.strcoll() function −

locale.strcoll(string1, string2)

Parameters

This function accepts the following parameters −

• string1: The first string to be compared.
• string2: The second string to be compared.

Return Value

This function returns −

• A negative value if string1 is less than string2 in the current locale.
• Zero if both strings are equal.
• A positive value if string1 is greater than string2 in the current locale.

Example 1

Following is an example of the Python locale.strcoll() function. Here, we compare two strings in the default locale −

import locale

locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, '')
result = locale.strcoll("apple", "banana")
print("Comparison Result:", result)

Following is the output of the above code (output may vary depending on the locale) −

Comparison Result: -1

Example 2

Here, we compare two strings using different locale settings to observe how collation differs −

import locale

locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, 'de_DE.UTF-8')
result1 = locale.strcoll("straße", "strasse")
print("German locale comparison:", result1)

locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, 'en_US.UTF-8')
result2 = locale.strcoll("straße", "strasse")
print("English locale comparison:", result2)

The result produced is as follows (output may vary based on system configuration) −

German locale comparison: 0
English locale comparison: 0

Example 3

Now, we are using the locale.strcoll() function for sorting a list of words in a locale-aware manner −

import locale

words = ["zebra", "apple", "Österreich", "Banana"]
locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, 'de_DE.UTF-8')
sorted_words = sorted(words, key=locale.strxfrm)
print("Sorted words:", sorted_words)

The output reflects proper collation according to the German locale.

Sorted words: ['apple', 'Banana', 'Österreich', 'zebra']

Example 4

In here, we use the locale.strcoll() function to implement a custom sorting function −

import locale

words = ["café", "caffè", "coffee"]
locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, 'fr_FR.UTF-8')
words.sort(key=locale.strxfrm)
print("French sorted words:", words)

The result ensures that sorting is performed according to French language conventions.

French sorted words: ['café', 'caffè', 'coffee']