An augmented assignment differs from a plain assignment in that, instead of an equals sign (=) between the target and the expression, it uses an augmented operator, which is a binary operator followed by =. The augmented operators are +=, -=, *=, /=, //=, %=, **=, |=, >>=, <<=, &=, and ^=. An augmented assignment can have only one target on the LHS; augmented assignment doesn't support multiple targets.

In an augmented assignment, just as in a plain one, Python first evaluates the RHS expression. Then, if the LHS refers to an object that has a special method for the appropriate in-place version of the operator, Python calls the method with the RHS value as its argument. It is up to the method to modify the LHS object appropriately and return the modified object ("Special Methods" on page 104 covers special methods). If the LHS object has no appropriate in-place special method, Python applies the corresponding binary operator to the LHS and RHS objects, then rebinds the target reference to the operator's result. For example, x+=y  is like x=x.__iadd__(y) when x  has special method __iadd__. Otherwise, x+=y  is like x=x+y .

Augmented assignment never creates its target reference; the target must already be bound when augmented assignment executes. Augmented assignment can rebind the target reference to a new object or modify the same object to which the target reference was already bound. Plain assignment, in contrast, can create or rebind the LHS target reference, but it never modifies the object, if any, to which the target reference was previously bound. The distinction between objects and references to objects is crucial here. For example, x=x+y  does not modify the object to which name x  was originally bound. Rather, it rebinds the name x  to refer to a new object. x+=y , in contrast, modifies the object to which the name x  is bound when that object has special method __iadd__; otherwise, x+=y  rebinds the name x to a new object, just like x=x+y .

del Statements

Despite its name, a del statement does not delete objects; rather, it unbinds references. Object deletion may automatically follow as a consequence, by garbage collection, when no more references to an object exist.

A del statement consists of the keyword del, followed by one or more target references separated by commas (,). Each target can be a variable, attribute reference, indexing, or slicing, just like for assignment statements, and must be bound at the time del executes. When a del target is an identifier, the del statement means to unbind the variable. If the identifier was bound, unbinding it is never disallowed; when requested, it takes place.

In all other cases, the del statement specifies a request to an object to unbind one or more of its attributes or items. An object may refuse to unbind some (or all) attributes or items, raising an exception if you attempt a disallowed unbinding (see also __delattr__ on page 106 and __delitem__ on page 112). Unbinding a slicing normally has the same effect as assigning an empty sequence to that slice, but it is up to the container object to implement this equivalence.

Please check back next week for the continuation of this article.