Python supports two split functions methods to explode a string into a list of substrings. There's one in the default class that works on a string, and there's another in the re (Regular Expression) class.

Splitting at a string works very will if you've got a fixed delimiter, typically in a machine generated file of data. You write
inputstring.split(separator)
however, with data that's entered by a user and may well contain multiple spaces as the separator, you would be better advised to write
regex.split(inputstring)
and, yes, the parameters are indeed the other way around.

Here's the result of splitting an address which had multiple spaces in in between the company hame and town, using the string and re classes:
['Techsputer', 'Training,', '', 'Bradford', 'on', 'Avon']
['Techsputer', 'Training,', 'Bradford', 'on', 'Avon']
and you can see the full source code here
(written 2006-11-29)

 Y108 - Python - String Handling
  [3469] Teaching dilemma - old tricks and techniques, or recent enhancements? - (2011-10-08)
  [3468] Python string formatting - the move from % to str.format - (2011-10-08)
  [3349] Formatting output in Python through str.format - (2011-07-07)
  [3218] Matching a license plate or product code - Regular Expressions - (2011-03-28)
  [3090] Matching to a string - what if it matches in many possible ways? - (2010-12-17)
  [2814] Python - splitting and joining strings - (2010-06-16)
  [2780] Formatted Printing in Python - (2010-05-25)
  [2765] Running operating system commands from your Python program - (2010-05-14)
  [2721] Regular Expressions in Python - (2010-04-14)
  [2692] Flexible search and replace in Python - (2010-03-25)
  [2406] Pound Sign in Python Program - (2009-09-15)
  [2284] Strings as collections in Python - (2009-07-12)
  [1876] Python Regular Expressions - (2008-11-08)
  [1608] Underlining in Perl and Python - the x and * operator in use - (2008-04-12)
  [1517] Python - formatting objects - (2008-01-24)
  [1195] Regular Express Primer - (2007-05-20)
  [1110] Python - two different splits - (2007-03-15)
  [970] String duplication - x in Perl, * in Python and Ruby - (2006-12-07)
  [943] Matching within multiline strings, and ignoring case in regular expressions - (2006-11-25)
  [903] Pieces of Python - (2006-10-23)
  [773] Breaking bread - (2006-06-22)
  [560] The fencepost problem - (2006-01-10)
  [496] Python printf - (2005-11-15)
  [463] Splitting the difference - (2005-10-13)
  [324] The backtick operator in Python and Perl - (2005-05-25)

Back to Christmas in November

Previous and next or Horse's mouth home

Forward to Python collections - mutable and imutable

Plain Ole nice pictures
Improving the historic town of Melksham
Python security - trouble with input
Python collections - mutable and imutable
Splitting Pythons in Bradford
Christmas in November
Coming from London to Melksham by train for a course
What happened at Geekmas
Python and the Magic Roundabout
Sludge off the mountain, and Python and PHP