Kothari International School
Grade LS-3
Topic: Python Lists
List
Lists are used to store multiple items in a single variable.
Lists are one of 4 built-in data types in Python used to store collections of data, the other 3 are Tuple,
Set, and Dictionary, all with different qualities and usage.
Lists are created using square brackets:
List Items
List items are ordered, changeable, and allow duplicate values.
List items are indexed, the first item has index [0], the second item has index [1] etc.
Ordered
When we say that lists are ordered, it means that the items have a defined order, and that order will not
change.
If you add new items to a list, the new items will be placed at the end of the list.
Changeable
The list is changeable, meaning that we can change, add, and remove items in a list after it has been
created.
Allow Duplicates
Since lists are indexed, lists can have items with the same value:
List Items - Data Types
List items can be of any data type:
Example
list1 = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
list2 = [1, 5, 7, 9, 3]
list3 = [True, False, False]
Access Items
List items are indexed and you can access them by referring to the index number:
Example
Print the second item of the list:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print(thislist[1])
Negative Indexing
Negative indexing means start from the end
-1 refers to the last item, -2 refers to the second last item etc.
Example
Print the last item of the list:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print(thislist[-1])
Range of Indexes
You can specify a range of indexes by specifying where to start and where to end the range.
When specifying a range, the return value will be a new list with the specified items.
Example
Return the third, fourth, and fifth item:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango"]
print(thislist[2:5])
By leaving out the start value, the range will start at the first item:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango"]
print(thislist[:4])
#Remember that the item in index 4 is NOT included
By leaving out the end value, the range will go on to the end of the list:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango"]
print(thislist[2:])
Check if Item Exists
Example
Check if "apple" is present in the list:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
if "apple" in thislist:
print("Yes, 'apple' is in the fruits list")
Change Item Value
To change the value of a specific item, refer to the index number:
Example
Change the second item:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
thislist[1] = "blackcurrant"
print(thislist)
Change a Range of Item Values
Example
Change the values "banana" and "cherry" with the values "blackcurrant" and "watermelon":
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "mango"]
thislist[1:3] = ["blackcurrant", "watermelon"]
print(thislist)
Insert Items
To insert a new list item, without replacing any of the existing values, we can use the insert() method.
The insert() method inserts an item at the specified index:
Example
Insert "watermelon" as the third item:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
[Link](2, "watermelon")
print(thislist)
Append Items
To add an item to the end of the list, use the append() method:
Example
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
[Link]("orange")
print(thislist)
Extend List
To append elements from another list to the current list, use the extend() method.
Example
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
tropical = ["mango", "pineapple", "papaya"]
[Link](tropical)
print(thislist)
Remove List Items
Remove Specified Item
The remove() method removes the specified item.
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
[Link]("banana")
print(thislist)
Remove Specified Index
The pop() method removes the specified index.
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
[Link](1)
print(thislist)
If you do not specify the index, the pop() method removes the last item.
Loop Lists
You can loop through the list items by using a for loop:
Example:
Print all items in the list, one by one:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in thislist:
print(x)
Loop Through the Index Numbers
Use the range() and len() functions to create a suitable iterable.
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for i in range(len(thislist)):
print(thislist[i])
Using a While Loop
You can loop through the list items by using a while loop.
Use the len() function to determine the length of the list, then start at 0 and loop your way through the
list items by referring to their indexes.
Remember to increase the index by 1 after each iteration.
Example
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
i = 0
while i < len(thislist):
print(thislist[i])
i = i + 1
Sort Lists
Sort List Alphanumerically
List objects have a sort() method that will sort the list alphanumerically, ascending, by default:
Example
thislist = ["orange", "mango", "kiwi", "pineapple", "banana"]
[Link]()
print(thislist)
Sort Descending
To sort descending, use the keyword argument reverse = True:
Example
thislist = ["orange", "mango", "kiwi", "pineapple", "banana"]
[Link](reverse = True)
print(thislist)
Join Two Lists
There are several ways to join, or concatenate, two or more lists in
Python.
One of the easiest ways are by using the + operator.
Example
list1 = ["a", "b", "c"]
list2 = [1, 2, 3]
list3 = list1 + list2
print(list3)
List Methods
Python has a set of built-in methods that you can use on lists.
Method Description
append() Adds an element at the end of the list
clear() Removes all the elements from the list
count() Returns the number of elements with the specified value
extend() Add the elements of a list (or any iterable), to the end of the
current list
index() Returns the index of the first element with the specified value
insert() Adds an element at the specified position
pop() Removes the element at the specified position
remove() Removes the item with the specified value
reverse() Reverses the order of the list
sort() Sorts the list