In this tutorial, we will discover the four easy ways to learn Python Initialize List. But first, let’s know what is python list.
A Python List is simply a sequence of numbers or other values. This means that the list’s values can cover a wide range of possibilities. The list itself is a container whose contents can be altered. That means we can modify the current values by adding new ones or removing old ones.
Furthermore, a finite sequence is represented by the python list. Elements or items are the values contained in a list. A Python list, on the other hand, can have the same value many times, unlike set.
Also read: Python Print Exception with Program Examples
How to Declare a List in Python?
The popular method of declaring a list in python is using square brackets []
. Lists store zero or more elements. An item is a component of each list, whereas Python lists are often referred to as arrays.
In Python, list elements are separated by commas, while the list itself is enclosed in a set of square brackets.
Here’s an example of a list in Python:
website= [‘Python for Free’, ‘Proud Pinoy’, ‘IT Sourcecode’]
Our list contains three values: Python for Free, Proud Pinoy, and IT Sourcecode. We can reference our list by using the variable “website” that we declared above.
How to Create a List in Python?
We can create a list in Python using square brackets, the list() method, list multiplication, and list comprehension.
We can initialize an empty list or a list with default values using square brackets. The list() method functions are similar to square brackets. If you want to add starting values, you must add square brackets and a list of items within the list() method.
Meanwhile, List multiplication enables the creation of a new list consisting of repeated components from an existing list. While List comprehensions allow you to generate a new list from an existing list’s elements.
Python Square Brackets Create List
This time, we will focus on how to use the square brackets approach to create a list. To create a list with empty values in python, we can use square brackets or list()
method.
Here’s an example syntax:
python= []
print(python)
We use the print()
method to return blank square brackets with no value inside that represent a blank list.
[]
Example Program with default values:
jobs = ['Software Engineer','Data Analyst']
Python Create List() Method
Using the list()
method is another method to create an empty list with no values in Python.
Here is the list() function that creates a list with no values:
jobs = list()
print(jobs)
Output:
[]
The results of the first two methods are the same: an empty list. Neither of these methods has been standardized for usage under any given conditions. As a general rule, the method of using empty square brackets ([])
is preferred due to its concision.
Python Declare List Multiplication
List multiplication is one way to initialize a list with multiple values. Using this method, you can generate a set of parameters with a fixed number of possible values.
Example:
favorite_books = [''] * 10
print(favorite_books)
Output:
['', '', '', '', '', '', '', '', '', '']
Python Declare List Comprehension
The list comprehension method can also be used to create an empty list with default values. The term “list comprehension” in Python is used to describe a method for generating lists from an already-existing iterable object.
In addition, it is a useful way to define a list based on an iterator because it is elegant, simple, and widely recognized.
The iterable object can be anything that can be traversed in a for loop, such as a list or the result of a range()
command.
Example:
favorite_fruits = ['Choose a fruit.' for i in range(10)]
print(favorite_fruits)
Output:
['Choose a fruit.', 'Choose a fruit.', 'Choose a fruit.', 'Choose a fruit.', 'Choose a fruit.', 'Choose a fruit.', 'Choose a fruit.', 'Choose a fruit.', 'Choose a fruit.', 'Choose a fruit.']
Conclusion
In summary, Python Initialize List is a cornerstone of any list-based operation. This guide shows us how to use square brackets []
and the list()
method to create empty lists and with data. Furthermore, we discussed methods for producing lists with a fixed number of values, such as list multiplication and list comprehension.
Read our how long does it take to learn Python? to learn more about the Python programming language.