# Python Pprint Module

The `pprint` module provides a capability to "pretty-print" arbitrary Python data structures in a form which can be used as input to the interpreter. It is especially useful for printing complex data structures like nested dictionaries or lists in a readable format.

## Importing the Module

```python
import pprint
```

## Basic Usage

### `pprint.pprint()`

Prints the formatted representation of an object on `sys.stdout`.

```python
import pprint

data = {
    'name': 'John Doe',
    'age': 30,
    'address': {
        'street': '123 Main St',
        'city': 'New York',
        'zip': '10001'
    },
    'hobbies': ['reading', 'cycling', 'hiking']
}

pprint.pprint(data)
```

### `pprint.pformat()`

Returns the formatted representation of an object as a string.

```python
import pprint

formatted_string = pprint.pformat(data)
print(f"Formatted data:\n{formatted_string}")
```

## Customizing Output

You can customize the output using various parameters.

*   `indent`: Amount of indentation for each level.
*   `width`: Desired maximum number of characters per line.
*   `depth`: The number of levels to print.
*   `compact`: If true, tries to fit as many items as possible on each line.

```python
import pprint

stuff = ['a' * 10, 'b' * 10, 'c' * 10, 'd' * 10]

pp = pprint.PrettyPrinter(indent=4, width=40, compact=True)
pp.pprint(stuff)
```

## Handling Recursion

The `pprint` module handles recursive data structures correctly.

```python
import pprint

a = [1, 2, 3]
a.append(a)

pprint.pprint(a)
# Output: [1, 2, 3, <Recursion on list with id=...>]
```

[[programming/python/python]]