Python: Is there an equivalent of mid, right, and left from BASIC?

slices to the rescue :)

def left(s, amount):
    return s[:amount]

def right(s, amount):
    return s[-amount:]

def mid(s, offset, amount):
    return s[offset:offset+amount]

If I remember my QBasic, right, left and mid do something like this:

>>> s = '123456789'
>>> s[-2:]
'89'
>>> s[:2]
'12'
>>> s[4:6]
'56'

http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/nightcode/prglang/qbasic/function/strings/left_right.html