Generator expressions

It’s possible to create generator iterators using a comprehension-like syntax.

generator = (i * 2 for i in range(3))

next(generator)  # 0
next(generator)  # 2
next(generator)  # 4
next(generator)  # raises StopIteration

If a function doesn’t necessarily need to be passed a list, you can save on characters (and improve readability) by placing a generator expression inside a function call. The parenthesis from the function call implicitly make your expression a generator expression.

sum(i ** 2 for i in range(4))  # 0^2 + 1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 = 0 + 1 + 4 + 9 = 14

Additionally, you will save on memory because instead of loading the entire list you are iterating over ([0, 1, 2, 3] in the above example), the generator allows Python to use values as needed.