Python From Zero To Hero
Python From Zero To Hero
Python From Zero To Hero
Created By
Nichervan Essa
What is Python?
Python is a popular programming language. It was created by Guido van
Rossum, and released in 1991.
It is used for:
Why Python?
• Python works on different platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi,
etc).
• Python has a simple syntax similar to the English language.
• Python has syntax that allows developers to write programs with fewer
lines than some other programming languages.
• Python runs on an interpreter system, meaning that code can be
executed as soon as it is written. This means that prototyping can be very
quick.
• Python can be treated in a procedural way, an object-oriented way or a
functional way.
Good to know
• The most recent major version of Python is Python 3, which we shall be
using in this tutorial. However, Python 2, although not being updated with
anything other than security updates, is still quite popular.
• In this tutorial Python will be written in a text editor. It is possible to write
Python in an Integrated Development Environment, such as Thonny,
Pycharm, Netbeans or Eclipse which are particularly useful when
managing larger collections of Python files.
Python Install
Many PCs and Macs will have python already installed.
To check if you have python installed on a Windows PC, search in the start bar
for Python or run the following on the Command Line (cmd.exe):
To check if you have python installed on a Linux or Mac, then on linux open the
command line or on Mac open the Terminal and type:
python --version
If you find that you do not have Python installed on your computer, then you
can download it for free from the following website: https://www.python.org/
Python Quickstart
Python is an interpreted programming language, this means that as a developer
you write Python (.py) files in a text editor and then put those files into the
python interpreter to be executed.
The way to run a python file is like this on the command line:
Let's write our first Python file, called helloworld.py, which can be done in any
text editor.
helloworld.py
print("Hello, World!")
Simple as that. Save your file. Open your command line, navigate to the
directory where you saved your file, and run:
Hello, World!
Congratulations, you have written and executed your first Python program.
C:\Users\Your Name>python
Or, if the "python" command did not work, you can try "py":
C:\Users\Your Name>py
From there you can write any python, including our hello world example from
earlier in the tutorial:
C:\Users\Your Name>python
Python 3.6.4 (v3.6.4:d48eceb, Dec 19 2017, 06:04:45) [MSC v.1900 32 bit
(Intel)] on win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> print("Hello, World!")
C:\Users\Your Name>python
Python 3.6.4 (v3.6.4:d48eceb, Dec 19 2017, 06:04:45) [MSC v.1900 32 bit
(Intel)] on win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> print("Hello, World!")
Hello, World!
Whenever you are done in the python command line, you can simply type the
following to quit the python command line interface:
exit()
Python Syntax
Execute Python Syntax
As we learned in the previous page, Python syntax can be executed by writing
directly in the Command Line:
Or by creating a python file on the server, using the .py file extension, and
running it in the Command Line:
Python Indentation
Indentation refers to the spaces at the beginning of a code line.
Where in other programming languages the indentation in code is for readability
only, the indentation in Python is very important.
Examples
if 5 > 2:
print("Five is greater than two!")
Example
Syntax Error:
if 5 > 2:
print("Five is greater than two!")
Example
if 5 > 2:
print("Five is greater than two!")
if 5 > 2:
print("Five is greater than two!")
You have to use the same number of spaces in the same block of code,
otherwise Python will give you an error:
Example
Syntax Error:
if 5 > 2:
print("Five is greater than two!")
print("Five is greater than two!")
Python Variables
In Python, variables are created when you assign a value to it:
Example
Variables in Python:
x = 5
y = "Hello, World!"
Comments
Python has commenting capability for the purpose of in-code documentation.
Comments start with a #, and Python will render the rest of the line as a
comment:
Example
Comments in Python:
#This is a comment.
print("Hello, World!"
Exercise:
Insert the missing part of the code below to output "Hello World".
("Hello World")
Python Comments
Comments can be used to explain Python code.
Creating a Comment
Comments starts with a #, and Python will ignore them:
#This is a comment
print("Hello, World!")
Comments can be placed at the end of a line, and Python will ignore the rest of
the line:
Example
print("Hello, World!") #This is a comment
A comment does not have to be text that explains the code, it can also be used
to prevent Python from executing code:
Example
#print("Hello, World!")
print("Cheers, Mate!")
Multiline Comments
Python does not really have a syntax for multiline comments.
Example
#This is a comment
#written in
#more than just one line
print("Hello, World!")
Since Python will ignore string literals that are not assigned to a variable, you
can add a multiline string (triple quotes) in your code, and place your comment
inside it:
Example
"""
This is a comment
written in
more than just one line
"""
print("Hello, World!")
As long as the string is not assigned to a variable, Python will read the code, but
then ignore it, and you have made a multiline comment.
Python Variables
-Variable Names
-Variable Multiple Values
-Output Variables
-Global Variables
-Examples
Variables
Variables are containers for storing data values.
Creating Variables
Python has no command for declaring a variable.
x = 5
y = "John"
print(x)
print(y)
Variables do not need to be declared with any particular type, and can even
change type after they have been set.
Example
x = 4 # x is of type int
x = "Sally" # x is now of type str
print(x)
Casting
If you want to specify the data type of a variable, this can be done with casting.
Example
x = str(3) # x will be '3'
y = int(3) # y will be 3
z = float(3) # z will be 3.0
Get the Type
You can get the data type of a variable with the type() function.
Example
x = 5
y = "John"
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
Example
x = "John"
# is the same as
x = 'John’
Case-Sensitive
Variable names are case-sensitive.
Example
This will create two variables:
a = 4
A = "Sally"
#A will not overwrite a
Python - Variable Names
Variable Names
A variable can have a short name (like x and y) or a more descriptive name
(age, carname, total_volume). Rules for Python variables:
Examples
Legal variable names:
myvar = "John"
my_var = "John"
_my_var = "John"
myVar = "John"
MYVAR = "John"
myvar2 = "John"
Example
Illegal variable names:
2myvar = "John"
my-var = "John"
my var = "John"
Camel Case
Each word, except the first, starts with a capital letter:
myVariableName = "John"
Pascal Case
Each word starts with a capital letter:
MyVariableName = "John"
Snake Case
Each word is separated by an underscore character:
my_variable_name = "John"
Examples
x, y, z = "Orange", "Banana", "Cherry"
print(x)
print(y)
print(z)
Note: Make sure the number of variables matches the number of values, or
else you will get an error.
One Value to Multiple Variables
And you can assign the same value to multiple variables in one line:
Example
x = y = z = "Orange"
print(x)
print(y)
print(z)
Unpack a Collection
If you have a collection of values in a list, tuple etc. Python allows you to
extract the values into variables. This is called unpacking.
Example
Unpack a list:
Examples
x = "Python is awesome"
print(x)
Example
x = "Python"
y = "is"
z = "awesome"
print(x, y, z)
Example
x = "Python "
y = "is "
z = "awesome"
print(x + y + z)
Notice the space character after "Python " and "is ", without them the result
would be "Pythonisawesome".
Example
x = 5
y = 10
print(x + y)
In the print() function, when you try to combine a string and a number with
the + operator, Python will give you an error:
Example
x = 5
y = "John"
print(x + y)
The best way to output multiple variables in the print() function is to separate
them with commas, which even support different data types:
Example
x = 5
y = "John"
print(x, y)
Global variables can be used by everyone, both inside of functions and outside.
Examples
Create a variable outside of a function, and use it inside the function
x = "awesome"
def myfunc():
print("Python is " + x)
myfunc()
If you create a variable with the same name inside a function, this variable will
be local, and can only be used inside the function. The global variable with the
same name will remain as it was, global and with the original value.
Example
Create a variable inside a function, with the same name as the global variable
x = "awesome"
def myfunc():
x = "fantastic"
print("Python is " + x)
myfunc()
print("Python is " + x)
To create a global variable inside a function, you can use the global keyword.
Example
If you use the global keyword, the variable belongs to the global scope:
def myfunc():
global x
x = "fantastic"
myfunc()
print("Python is " + x)
Also, use the global keyword if you want to change a global variable inside a
function.
Example
To change the value of a global variable inside a function, refer to the variable
by using the global keyword:
x = "awesome"
def myfunc():
global x
x = "fantastic"
myfunc()
print("Python is " + x)
Python - Variable Exercises
Test Yourself With Exercises
Now you have learned a lot about variables, and how to use them in Python.
Try to insert the missing part to make the code work as expected:
Exercise:
Create a variable named carname and assign the value Volvo to it.
= ""
Submit Answer »
Go to the Exercise section and test all of our Python Variable Exercises:
Variables can store data of different types, and different types can do different
things.
Python has the following data types built-in by default, in these categories:
Example
Print the data type of the variable x:
x = 5
print(type(x))
x = 20 int
x = 20.5 float
x = 1j complex
x = range(6) range
x = True bool
x = b"Hello" bytes
x = bytearray(5) bytearray
x = memoryview(bytes(5)) memoryview
x = None NoneType
x = int(20) int
x = float(20.5) float
x = complex(1j) complex
x = range(6) range
x = bool(5) bool
x = bytes(5) bytes
x = bytearray(5) bytearray
x = memoryview(bytes(5)) memoryview
Exercise:
The following code example would print the data type of x, what data type would that
be?
x = 5
print(type(x))
Python Numbers
Python Numbers
There are three numeric types in Python:
• int
• float
• complex
Variables of numeric types are created when you assign a value to them:
Example
x = 1 # int
y = 2.8 # float
z = 1j # complex
To verify the type of any object in Python, use the type() function:
Example
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
Int
Int, or integer, is a whole number, positive or negative, without decimals, of
unlimited length.
Example
Integers:
x = 1
y = 35656222554887711
z = -3255522
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
Float
Float, or "floating point number" is a number, positive or negative, containing
one or more decimals.
Example
Floats:
x = 1.10
y = 1.0
z = -35.59
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
Float can also be scientific numbers with an "e" to indicate the power of 10.
Example
Floats:
x = 35e3
y = 12E4
z = -87.7e100
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
Complex
Complex numbers are written with a "j" as the imaginary part:
Example
Complex:
x = 3+5j
y = 5j
z = -5j
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
Type Conversion
You can convert from one type to another with the int(), float(),
and complex() methods:
Example
Convert from one type to another:
x = 1 # int
y = 2.8 # float
z = 1j # complex
print(a)
print(b)
print(c)
print(type(a))
print(type(b))
print(type(c))
Note: You cannot convert complex numbers into another number type.
Random Number
Python does not have a random() function to make a random number, but Python
has a built-in module called random that can be used to make random numbers:
Example
Import the random module, and display a random number between 1 and 9:
import random
print(random.randrange(1, 10))
In our Random Module Reference you will learn more about the Random
module.
Exercise:
Insert the correct syntax to convert x into a floating point number.
x = 5
x = (x)
Python Casting
Specify a Variable Type
There may be times when you want to specify a type on to a variable. This can
be done with casting. Python is an object-orientated language, and as such it
uses classes to define data types, including its primitive types.
Example
Integers:
x = int(1) # x will be 1
y = int(2.8) # y will be 2
z = int("3") # z will be 3
Example
Floats:
Example
Strings:
Python Strings
Strings
Strings in python are surrounded by either single quotation marks, or double
quotation marks.
Example
a = "Hello"
print(a)
Multiline Strings
You can assign a multiline string to a variable by using three quotes:
Example
You can use three double quotes:
Example
a = '''Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipiscing elit,
sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt
ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.'''
print(a)
Note: in the result, the line breaks are inserted at the same position as in the
code.
Strings are Arrays
Like many other popular programming languages, strings in Python are arrays
of bytes representing unicode characters.
However, Python does not have a character data type, a single character is
simply a string with a length of 1.
Example
Get the character at position 1 (remember that the first character has the
position 0):
a = "Hello, World!"
print(a[1])
Example
Loop through the letters in the word "banana":
for x in "banana":
print(x)
Learn more about For Loops in our Python For Loops chapter.
String Length
To get the length of a string, use the len() function.
Example
The len() function returns the length of a string:
a = "Hello, World!"
print(len(a))
Check String
To check if a certain phrase or character is present in a string, we can use the
keyword in.
Example
Check if "free" is present in the following text:
Use it in an if statement:
Example
Print only if "free" is present:
Check if NOT
To check if a certain phrase or character is NOT present in a string, we can use
the keyword not in.
Example
Check if "expensive" is NOT present in the following text:
Example
print only if "expensive" is NOT present:
Specify the start index and the end index, separated by a colon, to return a part
of the string.
Example
Get the characters from position 2 to position 5 (not included):
b = "Hello, World!"
print(b[2:5])
Example
Get the characters from the start to position 5 (not included):
b = "Hello, World!"
print(b[:5])
Slice To the End
By leaving out the end index, the range will go to the end:
Example
Get the characters from position 2, and all the way to the end:
b = "Hello, World!"
print(b[2:])
Negative Indexing
Use negative indexes to start the slice from the end of the string:
Example
Get the characters:
b = "Hello, World!"
print(b[-5:-2])
Upper Case
Example
The upper() method returns the string in upper case:
a = "Hello, World!"
print(a.upper())
Lower Case
Example
The lower() method returns the string in lower case:
a = "Hello, World!"
print(a.lower())
Remove Whitespace
Whitespace is the space before and/or after the actual text, and very often you
want to remove this space.
Example
The strip() method removes any whitespace from the beginning or the end:
Replace String
Example
The replace() method replaces a string with another string:
a = "Hello, World!"
print(a.replace("H", "J"))
Split String
The split() method returns a list where the text between the specified
separator becomes the list items.
Example
The split() method splits the string into substrings if it finds instances of the
separator:
a = "Hello, World!"
print(a.split(",")) # returns ['Hello', ' World!']
Learn more about Lists in our Python Lists chapter.
String Methods
Learn more about String Methods with our String Methods Reference
Example
Merge variable a with variable b into variable c:
a = "Hello"
b = "World"
c = a + b
print(c)
Example
To add a space between them, add a " ":
a = "Hello"
b = "World"
c = a + " " + b
print(c)
But we can combine strings and numbers by using the format() method!
The format() method takes the passed arguments, formats them, and places
them in the string where the placeholders {} are:
Example
Use the format() method to insert numbers into strings:
age = 36
txt = "My name is John, and I am {}"
print(txt.format(age))
The format() method takes unlimited number of arguments, and are placed into
the respective placeholders:
Example
quantity = 3
itemno = 567
price = 49.95
myorder = "I want {} pieces of item {} for {} dollars."
print(myorder.format(quantity, itemno, price))
You can use index numbers {0} to be sure the arguments are placed in the
correct placeholders:
Example
quantity = 3
itemno = 567
price = 49.95
myorder = "I want to pay {2} dollars for {0} pieces of item {1}."
print(myorder.format(quantity, itemno, price))
Example
You will get an error if you use double quotes inside a string that is surrounded
by double quotes:
Example
The escape character allows you to use double quotes when you normally would
not be allowed:
Escape Characters
Other escape characters used in Python:
\n New Line
\r Carriage Return
\t Tab
\b Backspace
\f Form Feed
String Methods
Python has a set of built-in methods that you can use on strings.
Note: All string methods return new values. They do not change the original
string.
Method Description
endswith() Returns true if the string ends with the specified value
find() Searches the string for a specified value and returns the position of where it w
found
index() Searches the string for a specified value and returns the position of where it w
found
isalpha() Returns True if all characters in the string are in the alphabet
isascii() Returns True if all characters in the string are ascii characters
islower() Returns True if all characters in the string are lower case
isupper() Returns True if all characters in the string are upper case
partition() Returns a tuple where the string is parted into three parts
rindex() Searches the string for a specified value and returns the last position of wher
was found
rpartition() Returns a tuple where the string is parted into three parts
rsplit() Splits the string at the specified separator, and returns a list
split() Splits the string at the specified separator, and returns a list
startswith() Returns true if the string starts with the specified value
zfill() Fills the string with a specified number of 0 values at the beginning
Try to insert the missing part to make the code work as expected:
Exercise:
Use the len function to print the length of the string.
x = "Hello World"
print()
Python Boolean
Booleans represent one of two values: True or False.
Boolean Values
In programming you often need to know if an expression is True or False.
You can evaluate any expression in Python, and get one of two
answers, True or False.
When you compare two values, the expression is evaluated and Python returns
the Boolean answer:
Example
print(10 > 9)
print(10 == 9)
print(10 < 9)
Example
Print a message based on whether the condition is True or False:
a = 200
b = 33
if b > a:
print("b is greater than a")
else:
print("b is not greater than a")
Example
Evaluate a string and a number:
print(bool("Hello"))
print(bool(15))
Example
Evaluate two variables:
x = "Hello"
y = 15
print(bool(x))
print(bool(y))
Any list, tuple, set, and dictionary are True, except empty ones.
Example
The following will return True:
bool("abc")
bool(123)
bool(["apple", "cherry", "banana"])
Example
The following will return False:
bool(False)
bool(None)
bool(0)
bool("")
bool(())
bool([])
bool({})
One more value, or object in this case, evaluates to False, and that is if you
have an object that is made from a class with a __len__ function that
returns 0 or False:
Example
class myclass():
def __len__(self):
return 0
myobj = myclass()
print(bool(myobj))
Example
Print the answer of a function:
def myFunction() :
return True
print(myFunction())
Example
Print "YES!" if the function returns True, otherwise print "NO!":
def myFunction() :
return True
if myFunction():
print("YES!")
else:
print("NO!")
Python also has many built-in functions that return a boolean value, like
the isinstance() function, which can be used to determine if an object is of a
certain data type:
Example
Check if an object is an integer or not:
x = 200
print(isinstance(x, int))
Exercise:
The statement below would print a Boolean value, which one?
print(10 > 9)
Python Operators
Python Operators
Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.
In the example below, we use the + operator to add together two values:
Example
print(10 + 5)
+ Addition x+y
- Subtraction x-y
* Multiplication x*y
/ Division x/y
% Modulus x%y
** Exponentiation x ** y
// Floor division x // y
= x=5 x=5
+= x += 3 x=x+3
-= x -= 3 x=x-3
*= x *= 3 x=x*3
/= x /= 3 x=x/3
%= x %= 3 x=x%3
//= x //= 3 x = x // 3
**= x **= 3 x = x ** 3
|= x |= 3 x=x|3
^= x ^= 3 x=x^3
== Equal x == y
!= Not equal x != y
> Greater than x>y
and Returns True if both statements are true x < 5 and x < 10
not Reverse the result, returns False if the not(x < 5 and x <
result is true 10)
Python Identity Operators
Identity operators are used to compare the objects, not if they are equal, but if
they are actually the same object, with the same memory location:
<< Zero fill Shift left by pushing zeros in from the x << 2
left shift right and let the leftmost bits fall off
Example
Parentheses has the highest precedence, meaning that expressions inside
parentheses must be evaluated first:
print((6 + 3) - (6 + 3))
Example
Multiplication * has higher precedence than addition +, and therefor
multiplications are evaluated before additions:
print(100 + 5 * 3)
The precedence order is described in the table below, starting with the highest
precedence at the top:
() Parentheses
** Exponentiation
^ Bitwise XOR
| Bitwise OR
And AND
Or OR
If two operators have the same precedence, the expression is evaluated from
left to right.
Example
Addition + and subtraction - has the same precedence, and therefor we evaluate
the expression from left to right:
print(5 + 4 - 7 + 3)
Exercise:
Multiply 10 with 5, and print the result.
print(10 5)
Python Lists
mylist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
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.
Example
Create a List:
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.
Note: There are some list methods that will change the order, but in general: the order of the items
will not change.
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:
Example
Lists allow duplicate values:
List Length
To determine how many items a list has, use the len() function:
Example
Print the number of items in the list:
Example
String, int and boolean data types:
Example
A list with strings, integers and boolean values:
type()
From Python's perspective, lists are defined as objects with the data type 'list':
<class 'list'>
Example
What is the data type of a list?
Example
Using the list() constructor to make a List:
*Set items are unchangeable, but you can remove and/or add items whenever you like.
**As of Python version 3.7, dictionaries are ordered. In Python 3.6 and earlier, dictionaries
are unordered.
When choosing a collection type, it is useful to understand the properties of that type. Choosing the
right type for a particular data set could mean retention of meaning, and, it could mean an increase in
efficiency or security.
Example
Print the second item of the list:
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:
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])
Note: The search will start at index 2 (included) and end at index 5 (not
included).
By leaving out the start value, the range will start at the first item:
Example
This example returns the items from the beginning to, but NOT including,
"kiwi":
thislist =
["apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango"]
print(thislist[:4])
By leaving out the end value, the range will go on to the end of the list:
Example
This example returns the items from "cherry" to the end:
thislist =
["apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango"]
print(thislist[2:])
Range of Negative Indexes
Specify negative indexes if you want to start the search from the end of the list:
Example
This example returns the items from "orange" (-4) to, but NOT including
"mango" (-1):
thislist =
["apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango"]
print(thislist[-4:-1])
Example
Check if "apple" is present in the list:
Example
Change the second item:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
thislist[1] = "blackcurrant"
print(thislist)
Example
Change the values "banana" and "cherry" with the values "blackcurrant" and
"watermelon":
If you insert more items than you replace, the new items will be inserted where
you specified, and the remaining items will move accordingly:
Example
Change the second value by replacing it with two new values:
Note: The length of the list will change when the number of items inserted does
not match the number of items replaced.
If you insert less items than you replace, the new items will be inserted where
you specified, and the remaining items will move accordingly:
Example
Change the second and third value by replacing it with one value:
Example
Insert "watermelon" as the third item:
Note: As a result of the example above, the list will now contain 4 items.
Example
Using the append() method to append an item:
Insert Items
To insert a list item at a specified index, use the insert() method.
Example
Insert an item as the second position:
Note: As a result of the examples above, the lists will now contain 4 items.
Extend List
To append elements from another list to the current list, use
the extend() method.
Example
Add the elements of tropical to thislist:
Example
Add elements of a tuple to a list:
Example
Remove "banana":
If there are more than one item with the specified value, the remove() method removes the first
occurance:
Example
Remove the first occurance of "banana":
Example
Remove the second item:
If you do not specify the index, the pop() method removes the last item.
Example
Remove the last item:
Example
Remove the first item:
Example
Delete the entire list:
Example
Clear the list content:
Example
Print all items in the list, one by one:
Learn more about for loops in our Python For Loops Chapter.
Example
Print all items by referring to their index number:
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.
Example
Print all items, using a while loop to go through all the index numbers
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
i = 0
while i < len(thislist):
print(thislist[i])
i = i + 1
Learn more about while loops in our Python While Loops Chapter.
Example
A short hand for loop that will print all items in a list:
Learn more about list comprehension in the next chapter: List Comprehension.
Example:
Based on a list of fruits, you want a new list, containing only the fruits with the
letter "a" in the name.
Without list comprehension you will have to write a for statement with a
conditional test inside:
Example
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "kiwi", "mango"]
newlist = []
for x in fruits:
if "a" in x:
newlist.append(x)
print(newlist)
With list comprehension you can do all that with only one line of code:
Example
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "kiwi", "mango"]
print(newlist)
The Syntax
newlist = [expression for item in iterable if condition == True]
The return value is a new list, leaving the old list unchanged.
Condition
The condition is like a filter that only accepts the items that valuate to True.
Example
Only accept items that are not "apple":
The condition if x != "apple" will return True for all elements other than
"apple", making the new list contain all fruits except "apple".
Example
With no if statement:
newlist = [x for x in fruits]
Iterable
The iterable can be any iterable object, like a list, tuple, set etc.
Example
You can use the range() function to create an iterable:
Example
Accept only numbers lower than 5:
Expression
The expression is the current item in the iteration, but it is also the outcome,
which you can manipulate before it ends up like a list item in the new list:
Example
Set the values in the new list to upper case:
Example
Set all values in the new list to 'hello':
The expression can also contain conditions, not like a filter, but as a way to
manipulate the outcome:
Example
Return "orange" instead of "banana":
Example
Sort the list alphabetically:
Example
Sort the list numerically:
Sort Descending
To sort descending, use the keyword argument reverse = True:
Example
Sort the list descending:
thislist = ["orange", "mango", "kiwi", "pineapple", "banana"]
thislist.sort(reverse = True)
print(thislist)
Example
Sort the list descending:
The function will return a number that will be used to sort the list (the lowest
number first):
Example
Sort the list based on how close the number is to 50:
def myfunc(n):
return abs(n - 50)
Example
Case sensitive sorting can give an unexpected result:
Example
Perform a case-insensitive sort of the list:
Reverse Order
What if you want to reverse the order of a list, regardless of the alphabet?
The reverse() method reverses the current sorting order of the elements.
Example
Reverse the order of the list items:
There are ways to make a copy, one way is to use the built-in List
method copy().
Example
Make a copy of a list with the copy() method:
thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
mylist = thislist.copy()
print(mylist)
Example
Make a copy of a list with the list() method:
Example
Join two list:
Another way to join two lists is by appending all the items from list2 into list1,
one by one:
Example
Append list2 into list1:
print(list1)
Or you can use the extend() method, where the purpose is to add elements from
one list to another list:
Example
Use the extend() method to add list2 at the end of list1:
list1.extend(list2)
print(list1)
Method Description
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
Exercise:
Print the second item in the fruits list.
Submit Answer »
Go to the Exercise section and test all of our Python List Exercises
Python Tuples
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Tuple
Tuples are used to store multiple items in a single variable.
Tuple is one of 4 built-in data types in Python used to store collections of data,
the other 3 are List, Set, and Dictionary, all with different qualities and usage.
Try it Yourself »
Tuple Items
Tuple items are ordered, unchangeable, and allow duplicate values.
Tuple items are indexed, the first item has index [0], the second item has
index [1] etc.
Ordered
When we say that tuples are ordered, it means that the items have a defined
order, and that order will not change.
Unchangeable
Tuples are unchangeable, meaning that we cannot change, add or remove items
after the tuple has been created.
Allow Duplicates
Since tuples are indexed, they can have items with the same value:
Example
Tuples allow duplicate values:
thistuple = ("apple", "banana", "cherry", "apple", "cherry")
print(thistuple)
Try it Yourself »
Tuple Length
To determine how many items a tuple has, use the len() function:
Example
Print the number of items in the tuple:
Try it Yourself »
Example
One item tuple, remember the comma:
thistuple = ("apple",)
print(type(thistuple))
#NOT a tuple
thistuple = ("apple")
print(type(thistuple))
Try it Yourself »
Tuple Items - Data Types
Tuple items can be of any data type:
Example
String, int and boolean data types:
Try it Yourself »
Example
A tuple with strings, integers and boolean values:
Try it Yourself »
type()
From Python's perspective, tuples are defined as objects with the data type
'tuple':
<class 'tuple'>
Example
What is the data type of a tuple?
Example
Using the tuple() method to make a tuple:
Try it Yourself »
*Set items are unchangeable, but you can remove and/or add items whenever
you like.
**As of Python version 3.7, dictionaries are ordered. In Python 3.6 and earlier,
dictionaries are unordered.
Try it Yourself »
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 tuple:
Try it Yourself »
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 tuple with the specified
items.
Example
Return the third, fourth, and fifth item:
thistuple =
("apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango")
print(thistuple[2:5])
Try it Yourself »
Note: The search will start at index 2 (included) and end at index 5 (not
included).
By leaving out the start value, the range will start at the first item:
Example
This example returns the items from the beginning to, but NOT included, "kiwi":
thistuple =
("apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango")
print(thistuple[:4])
Try it Yourself »
By leaving out the end value, the range will go on to the end of the tuple:
Example
This example returns the items from "cherry" and to the end:
thistuple =
("apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango")
print(thistuple[2:])
Try it Yourself »
Example
This example returns the items from index -4 (included) to index -1 (excluded)
thistuple =
("apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "kiwi", "melon", "mango")
print(thistuple[-4:-1])
Try it Yourself »
Example
Check if "apple" is present in the tuple:
Tuples are unchangeable, meaning that you cannot change, add, or remove
items once the tuple is created.
But there is a workaround. You can convert the tuple into a list, change the list,
and convert the list back into a tuple.
print(x)
Try it Yourself »
Add Items
Since tuples are immutable, they do not have a built-in append() method, but
there are other ways to add items to a tuple.
1. Convert into a list: Just like the workaround for changing a tuple, you can
convert it into a list, add your item(s), and convert it back into a tuple.
Example
Convert the tuple into a list, add "orange", and convert it back into a tuple:
Try it Yourself »
2. Add tuple to a tuple. You are allowed to add tuples to tuples, so if you want
to add one item, (or many), create a new tuple with the item(s), and add it to
the existing tuple:
Example
Create a new tuple with the value "orange", and add that tuple:
print(thistuple)
Try it Yourself »
Note: When creating a tuple with only one item, remember to include a comma
after the item, otherwise it will not be identified as a tuple.
Remove Items
Note: You cannot remove items in a tuple.
Tuples are unchangeable, so you cannot remove items from it, but you can
use the same workaround as we used for changing and adding tuple items:
Example
Convert the tuple into a list, remove "apple", and convert it back into a tuple:
Try it Yourself »
Example
The del keyword can delete the tuple completely:
Try it Yourself »
Unpacking a Tuple
When we create a tuple, we normally assign values to it. This is called "packing"
a tuple:
ExampleGet your own Python Server
Packing a tuple:
Try it Yourself »
But, in Python, we are also allowed to extract the values back into variables.
This is called "unpacking":
Example
Unpacking a tuple:
print(green)
print(yellow)
print(red)
Try it Yourself »
Note: The number of variables must match the number of values in the tuple, if
not, you must use an asterisk to collect the remaining values as a list.
Using Asterisk*
If the number of variables is less than the number of values, you can add
an * to the variable name and the values will be assigned to the variable as a
list:
Example
Assign the rest of the values as a list called "red":
fruits = ("apple", "banana", "cherry", "strawberry", "raspberry")
print(green)
print(yellow)
print(red)
Try it Yourself »
If the asterisk is added to another variable name than the last, Python will
assign values to the variable until the number of values left matches the
number of variables left.
Example
Add a list of values the "tropic" variable:
print(green)
print(tropic)
print(red)
Try it Yourself »
Try it Yourself »
Learn more about for loops in our Python For Loops Chapter.
Example
Print all items by referring to their index number:
Try it Yourself »
Use the len() function to determine the length of the tuple, then start at 0 and
loop your way through the tuple items by referring to their indexes.
Example
Print all items, using a while loop to go through all the index numbers:
Try it Yourself »
Learn more about while loops in our Python While Loops Chapter.
Try it Yourself »
Multiply Tuples
If you want to multiply the content of a tuple a given number of times, you can
use the * operator:
Example
Multiply the fruits tuple by 2:
print(mytuple)
Tuple Methods
Python has two built-in methods that you can use on tuples.
Method Description
index() Searches the tuple for a specified value and returns the position of where
found
Python - Tuple Exercises
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Try to insert the missing part to make the code work as expected:
Exercise:
Print the first item in the fruits tuple.
Submit Answer »
Go to the Exercise section and test all of our Python Tuple Exercises: