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Introduction to Python DirectoriesPython directory is defined as a list of folders, files of different types like a tree structure having sub-directories inside the directory and files inside the sub-directories, as we have too many files and directories python directory will come to rescue in managing the files, directories, and sub-directories is called python directory. Python has an OS module that will help manage, create, remove, read and write directories, files, etc. Using it, we can perform many operations using OS modules like creating a directory, getting the current location of a directory, rename a directory, changing the directory, etc.
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How to Create Python Directory?In Python, Python directory can be created using the OS module and using its function mkdir() in python as below:
Syntax:
os.mkdir('name of the directory')The directory name’s name is the directory name that will be created in the current working directory location.
Let us create a directory called “repository” in the current working location and another directory called “sdk” in a specific location in the following examples.
Code:
import os os.mkdir('repository') os.mkdir('C:/Users/lenovo/PycharmProjects/sdk')In the above example, we have imported the os module and using the function mkdir() to create the directory ‘repository’. In another statement, we are creating a directory “sdk” at location ‘C:/Users/lenovo/PycharmProjects’. We need to use forward slash ‘/’ while creating a directory in other locations.
Output:
We will see the list of directories available in the current working directory as below:
Now we will see the output of directories available in the current working directory after the creation of the above directories in the example and output as below:
In the above output, we can able to see the new directories ‘repository’ and ‘sdk’, which we created in the above example.
How to List Python Directories?In python, directories at any given location can be listed using the OS module, which has many functions and to list is listdir() function.
Syntax:
The syntax to list python directories is as below:
os.listdir()or
os.listdir('path')The above command will list all directories in the current working directory, and another syntax will take the path as an argument and list all the directories in that path.
Example:
Let us create an example to list all the directories present in the current working directory that is
“C:/Users/lenovo/PycharmProjects/projman” and using the path same as a current working directory as below:
Code:
import os os.listdir() os.listdir('C:/Users/lenovo/PycharmProjects/projman')In the above example, we have imported the OS module and using its function listdir() to see the list of available directories in the current working directory and whereas in another example, we are passing path “C:/Users/lenovo/PycharmProjects/projman” to the listdir() function so that it will list available directories in that particular path.
Output:
In the above example, we have executed the os.listdir() function in the current working directory, and the list of directories are ‘Programming’, ‘projman’, ‘projman.rar’,’pycharmprojects’,’repository’, and ‘sdk’.
In the above example, we have given a path to the os.listdir() function and lists all the available directories in that path as ‘.idea’,’Approach’,’build’, ’Makefile’,’README.md’, and ’src’.
How to Create Temporary Python Directories?In python, we can create the temporary directory using the tempfile module and the function TemporaryDirectory() as below:
Syntax:
The syntax to create the Temporary Directory in python is as below:
import tempfile tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() or tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(dir='path')In the above syntax, we have imported the module tempfile and using the function TemporaryDirectory() to create a temp directory in the temp directory, and we can pass the path where it needs to create the temporary directory in the second syntax.
Example:
Let’s create an example to create a temporary directory in the temp location and another temporary directory by giving a location as below:
Code:
import tempfile f = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() f.nameOutput:
In the above example, we have imported the tempfile module and created a temporary directory using TemporaryDirectory() function, and to check the temporary directory name, we have used file pointer.“name”, which gives the location of the file with the name as in the above output.
Code:
import tempfile tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(dir ='C:/Users/Lenovo/PycharmProjects')In the above example, we have imported the tempfile module and explicitly gave the path ‘C:/Users/lenovo/PycharmProjects’ to create the temp file.
Output:
We can observe the temporary file name in the location or path that we have provided the TemporaryDirectory() function in the above output. If we use file pointer, then we need to use chúng tôi otherwise, by default, it will display the temporary file location after creation.
How to Write your Own Python Directories?In python, we can create our own directories apart from the final directory using the OS module and its function makedirs(), which will create our own directories mentioned in the path.
Syntax:
The syntax to create own python directories is as below:
import os os.makedirs('path')In the above syntax, we have imported the module OS and using its function mkdirs() with a path that will have a list of directories to be created on its own.
Example:
Let’s create an example to create its own directories based on the path given “sdk/repos/hello” in the current working directory as below:
Code:
import os os.makedirs("sdk/repos/hello")In the above example, we have imported the OS module and using its function makedirs() to create directories on its own based on the path “sdk/repos/hello” apart from creating “sdk” it will create folders “repos”, “hello” on its own.
Output:
In the above output, we can see the directories created on their own after executing the example can be seen as “sdk”, “repos”, and “hello”.
Advantages of Python Directories
By using python directories, we can manage a large number of files and directories easily.
Python modules OS and tempfile provide different functions to apply to python directories.
They are easy to use and understand.
It provides an efficient way of handling file systems in python.
Conclusion Recommended ArticlesWe hope that this EDUCBA information on “Python Directories” was beneficial to you. You can view EDUCBA’s recommended articles for more information.
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How To Create A Dictionary Of Sets In Python?
In this article, we will learn how to create a dictionary of sets in Python.
Methods UsedThe following are the various methods used to accomplish this task −
Using the Naive Method
Using defaultdict() Method
Using setdefault() Method
Method 1: Using the Naive MethodIn this method, we create a dictionary of sets by passing sets as values to the keys.
Syntax { ‘Key’: Set 1, ‘Key’:Set 2,…………..,’Key’: Set n} Algorithm (Steps)Following are the Algorithms/steps to be followed to perform the desired task. −
Create a variable to store the dictionary containing the values as a set without duplicate elements (i.e, dictionary of sets).
Print the input dictionary of sets.
ExampleThe following program creates a dictionary of sets(without duplicates) in python using the Naive Method −
# creating a dictionary containing the values as set # without duplicate elements # (dictionary of sets) inputDict = {'Employ ID': {10, 11, 12, 14, 15}, 'Employ Age': {25, 30, 40, 35, 28}} # printing the input dictionary of sets print(inputDict) OutputOn execution, the above program will generate the following output −
{'Employ ID': {10, 11, 12, 14, 15}, 'Employ Age': {35, 40, 25, 28, 30}} Creating a Set having DuplicatesIn general, the set in python does not allow duplicates i,e which removes all the repeated elements.
ExampleThe below example shows that a python set will not allow duplicates.
The following program creates a dictionary of sets(containing duplicates) in python using the Naive Method −
# creating a dictionary containing the values as set # with duplicates elements # the set does not allow duplicates inputDict = {'Employ ID': {10, 11, 12, 13, 13, 14, 15, 10, 12, 11}, 'Employ Age': {25, 30, 30, 40, 25, 35, 40, 28, 33, 25}} # printing the input dictionary print(inputDict) OutputOn executing, the above program will generate the following output −
{'Employ ID': {10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15}, 'Employ Age': {33, 35, 40, 25, 28, 30}}In the above example, we can observe that all the duplicates are removed, and printed only the unique elements. Hence proved that a python set removes does not allow duplicates.
Method 2: Using defaultdict() MethodIn this method, the default set will be created and the key-values pairs will be passed to it.
Syntax defaultdict(set)Passing the dictionary with key and value −
Here,
dictionary − input dictionary
key − key of a dictionary
value − the value of a dictionary passed as set.
Algorithm (Steps)Following are the Algorithms/steps to be followed to perform the desired task. −
Use the import keyword to import the defaultdict from the collections module.
Use the defaultdict() method, to create an empty set of dictionary using the by-passing set as an argument to it.
Give the key-value pairs for the dictionary using the [] operator.
Print the created dictionary of sets.
ExampleThe following program creates a dictionary of sets in python using the defaultdict() function −
# importing defaultdict from the collections module from collections import defaultdict # creating an empty set of the dictionary using the # defaultdict() method by passing set as argument to it dictionary = defaultdict(set) # giving the first key-value pair of a dictionary # giving the second key-value pair of a dictionary # printing the created dictionary of sets print(dictionary) OutputOn execution, the above program will generate the following output −
Method 3: Using setdefault() MethodThe value of a key within the dictionary is returned by the setdefault() method. If not, a key and value are inserted into the dictionary.
Syntax dict.setdefault(key, default_value)here,
key − It is the key that must be searched in a dictionary.
default_value − It is the value of a specific key
Algorithm (Steps)Following are the Algorithms/steps to be followed to perform the desired task. −
Create a variable to store the input dictionary containing the value as a set without duplicate elements (i.e, dictionary of sets).
Use the setdefault() function, to access the values of ‘Employ ID’ as a set of the input dictionary by passing ‘Employ ID’ as an argument to it.
Use the setdefault() function, to access the values of ‘Employ Age’ as a set of the input dictionary by passing ‘Employ Age’ as an argument to it.
Create a new key-value pair with values as set using the setdefault() method.
Print the resultant dictionary after adding 3rd set.
ExampleThe following program creates a dictionary of sets and accesses its elements of it using the setdefault() method −
# creating a dictionary containing the values as sets # (dictionary of sets) inputDict = {'Employ ID': {10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 11}, 'Employ Age': {25, 30, 40, 35, 28, 28}} # accessing the values of 'Employ ID' of the dictionary as a set # using setdefault() function print("Accessing Employ ID:", inputDict.setdefault('Employ ID')) # accessing the values of 'Employ Age' of dictionary as a set # using setdefault() function print("Accessing Employ Age:", inputDict.setdefault('Employ Age')) # set the third set of values for the dictionary using setdefault method # Employee names inputDict = inputDict.setdefault( 'Employ Name', {'rohit', 'virat', 'pandya', 'smith', 'warner'}) # printing the dictionary after adding 3rd set print(inputDict) OutputOn execution, the above program will generate the following output −
Accessing Employ ID: {10, 11, 12, 14, 15} Accessing Employ Age: {35, 40, 25, 28, 30} {'pandya', 'rohit', 'smith', 'virat', 'warner'} ConclusionIn this article, we learned how to use 3 different methods to create a dictionary of sets in Python. This is necessary to remove duplicate data for certain keys, such as only keeping unique roll numbers, unique job ids, etc. We also learned how to use the setdefault() function to retrieve the dictionary of sets.
Python How To Split A List To N Chunks Of Even Size
To split a list into N chunks in Python, you can use iterators:
def split_list(lst, chunk_size): for i in range(0, len(lst), chunk_size): yield lst[i:i+chunk_size] # Example use lst = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] chunk_size = 3 for chunk in split_list(lst, chunk_size): print(chunk)Notice that it isn’t always possible to produce a list where the chunks are equal in length. This is because the list elements might not be evenly divisible to the N chunks.
This is a comprehensive guide to splitting a list into N chunks in Python. In case you’re looking for a quick solution, I’m sure the above will do. But if you’re learning Python, make sure to read the entire guide to figure out multiple approaches to splitting lists into chunks. The idea of this guide is not to use an existing solution but to implement the logic yourself.
Let’s jump into it!
1. Iterator ApproachHere is an example of how to split a Python list into equally-sized chunks using iterators and the yield keyword:
def split_list(lst, chunk_size): for i in range(0, len(lst), chunk_size): yield lst[i:i+chunk_size] # Example usage lst = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] chunk_size = 3 for chunk in split_list(lst, chunk_size): print(chunk)This code will output the following:
[1, 2, 3] [4, 5, 6] [7, 8, 9]Let’s take a closer look at the code.
The split_list function takes two arguments: a list lst and an integer chunk_size that specifies the size of each chunk. The function uses a for loop to iterate over the list, and yields a sublist of lst starting at the current index and ending at the current index plus the chunk size.
Here’s a step-by-step explanation of how the code works:
The split_list function is called with a list lst and a chunk size chunk_size.
The for loop iterates over the list, starting at index 0 and incrementing the index by chunk_size each time. For example, if the chunk size is 3, the first iteration will start at index 0, the second iteration will start at index 3, the third at 6, and so on.
On each iteration, the yield keyword constructs a sublist of lst starting at the current index and ending at the current index plus the chunk size. E.g. if the current index is 0 and the chunk size is 3, the sublist will be lst[0:3], which is the three elements of lst.
The for loop in the example code then iterates over the chunks yielded by split_list and prints each chunk.
The result of all of this is a list that is split into N chunks.
But What On Earth Does the ‘yield’ Do?The previously introduced approach is the easiest one to split a list into chunks. But if you’re new to the yield keyword and iterators, this solution might just leave you confused.
In case you’re interested in iterators, make sure to read this complete guide to iterators and iterables in Python.
The next section teaches you how to do the previous approach without using the yield keyword but using lists instead.
2. For Loop ApproachHere’s another way to split lists into chunks in Python. This approach uses for loops and lists and is thus a bit more beginner-friendly than the previous example.
Here are the steps you need to take:
Determine the number of chunks you want to split the list into. Let’s call this number n.
Floor-divide the length of the list by n to find the size of each chunk (floor division rounds down so that the chunk size isn’t e.g. 3.3333 but instead just 3). We’ll call this number chunk_size.
Use the range() function to create a list of numbers that specify the indexes where each chunk should start. If the original list has 10 elements and you want to split it into 3 chunks, the list of starting indexes would be [0, 3, 6].
Use a for loop to iterate over the list of starting indexes, and use the list[start:end] syntax to extract each chunk from the original list.
# Set the number of chunks N = 4 # Create a list of numbers my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] # Create an empty list to store the chunks chunks = [] # Iterate over the elements of the list in groups of N for i in range(0, len(my_list), N): # Extract each group of N elements as a sublist chunk = my_list[i:i + N] # Append the sublist to the list of chunks chunks.append(chunk) # Print the chunks print(chunks)This code produces the following output:
[[1, 2, 3, 4], [5, 6, 7, 8], [9, 10]] 2.1. List Comprehensions Can Do the SameWhen you’re dealing with for loops, in some cases, you might be able to use a list comprehension to tidy up the code.
It’s always up for debate as to whether you should use comprehension or not. This is because a list comprehension for sure shortens the code but might actually make it less readable.
Anyway, here’s the previous example that uses a list comprehension instead of a for loop:
# Define the input list input_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] # Define the chunk size chunk_size = 3 # Create the output list using a list comprehension output_list = [input_list[i:i + chunk_size] for i in range(0, len(input_list), chunk_size)] # Print the output list print(output_list)This will produce the following output:
[[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9], [10]] 3. While LoopIn the previous examples, you used a for loop to split a list into chunks. Because you can use a for loop, you can certainly do one with a while loop too!
Here’s what the code looks like when using a while loop:
# define the list of elements my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] # define the size of the chunks chunk_size = 3 # create an empty list to store the chunks chunks = [] # create an index variable to track the current position in the list index = 0 # loop until the index is larger than the length of the list while index < len(my_list): # get the sublist of the current chunk chunk = my_list[index:index+chunk_size] # append the chunk to the list of chunks chunks.append(chunk) # update the index to the next chunk index += chunk_size # print the resulting chunks print(chunks)Output:
[[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9], [10]]This solution creates an empty list to store the resulting chunks and then uses a while loop to iterate over the original list by chunk sizes, appending each chunk to the list of chunks. The index variable is used to track the current position in the list and is updated at each iteration to the next chunk.
4. Use NumPy to Split into N ChunksIn Python, there’s a popular math and science module called NumPy that the scientific Python community uses a lot.
If you’re using NumPy already, you can use the array_split() function to split lists into chunks. This function takes in the list as the first argument and the size of the chunks as the second argument.
Notice that this approach forces the elements into N chunks. The leftover values aren’t placed in their own chunk but are pushed to the last chunk instead.
For example, let’s split a list of 10 numbers into 3 chunks:
import numpy as np # Define the list to be split my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] # Split the list into chunks of size 3 chunks = np.array_split(my_list, 3) # Print the resulting chunks print(chunks) # Output: [array([1, 2, 3]), array([4, 5, 6]), array([7, 8, 9, 10])]Notice how the last chunk now has 4 elements instead of taking the extra element and placing it in its own chunk.
Thanks for reading. Happy coding!
Read AlsoComprehensions in Python
How To Copy A List In Python? (Why It Fails With Assignment)
In Python, copying a list can be unintuitive for beginners. This is because you cannot use the assignment operator to take an independent copy of a list. This can be confusing especially for beginner Pythonistas.
To create an independent copy of a list in Python, you need to use the copy module’s deepcopy() function like this:
import copy new_list = copy.deepcopy(old_list)This comprehensive guide teaches you how to take an independent copy of a list in Python. You will also learn why doing it with an assignment operator doesn’t work.
The Problem with Copying Lists in PythonWhen dealing with Python variables, you can create a copy of a variable by assigning the existing variable to a new one.
For example:
a = 10 b = aNow the variable b is a copy of variable a.
But if you copy a Python list in a similar fashion:
new_list = old_listAny modifications made to the new_list also change the original list old_list.
It happens because new_list is actually not a copy of old_list. Instead, it is a reference to the same object in memory.
“Copying” a list just creates an alias for the same object in memory.
To create a completely independent copy of a list, use the copy module’s deepcopy() function.
import copy new_list = copy.deepcopy(old_list)This is the only rational way to create a fully independent copy of a list in Python.
But if you don’t care about independent copies, there are many other ways to create a copy of a list in Python. These are:
copy() method. Creates a shallow copy.
[:] slicing operator. Creates a shallow copy.
list() function. Creates a shallow copy.
copy.copy() function. Creates a shallow copy.
copy.deepcopy() function. Creates a deep copy.
The following sections teach you how the assignment operator works, what is a shallow copy, and why copying “fails” with the assignment operator.
Assignment Operator (=) in PythonIf you use the assignment operator (=) to copy a list in Python, you are not actually creating a copy of the object. Instead, you just give rise to a new variable that refers to the original list. The new variable is an alias to the original list.
Let’s see an example where we:
Create a list.
Assign or “copy” the list to a new variable.
Change the first number in the original list.
Print both lists.
And see what happens.
Here’s the code:
numbers = [1, 2, 3] new_numbers = numbers # Only change the original list numbers[0] = 100 print(numbers) print(new_numbers)Output:
[100, 2, 3] [100, 2, 3]Here you only changed the first element in the original numbers list. But this change also took place in the new_numbers list.
This happens because numbers and new_numbers are actually the very same list object.
Under the hood, both lists point to the same blob in memory.
Another way to verify this is by checking the memory address of these objects.
In Python, you can use the id() method to find out the memory address of any object.
Let’s check the memory addresses of both numbers and new_numbers.
print(id(numbers)) print(id(new_numbers))Output:
140113161420416 140113161420416The IDs are the same!
This verifies that the numbers and new_numbers are aliases pointing to the same list object in memory.
Think of the list object as a chunk of memory without a name. The numbers and new_numbers are just names via which you can access the list object in memory.
So when you create a new variable and assign a list object to it, you are introducing a new reference label to the original object.
To recap, the assignment operator (=) creates a new reference to an object in memory. It does not copy anything. This applies to lists as well as any other object in Python.
Next, let’s take a look at how you can actually copy list objects in Python.
The Copy Module in PythonAs you learned, you cannot use the assignment operator to copy objects in Python. This is why there is a separate module, copy dedicated to copying Python objects.
The two key functions in the copy module are:
copy.copy()
copy.deepcopy()
Let’s take a look at what these functions do and what are the differences.
Shallow Copy: copy.copy()In Python, a shallow copy can be created using copy.copy() function. A shallow copy solves our problem of copying a list in a way it does not depend on the original list.
For example:
import copy numbers = [1, 2, 3] # Independent copy of 'numbers' list new_numbers = copy.copy(numbers) numbers[0] = 100 print(numbers) print(new_numbers)Output:
[100, 2, 3] [1, 2, 3]As you can see, changing the first element in the original list did not change the copied list.
Let’s also verify the objects are not the same by using the id() function:
print(id(numbers)) print(id(new_numbers))Output:
139764897739904 139764897692480Horray! Now you know how to create a shallow copy of a list in Python. But mind the word shallow! It’s important to notice that sometimes you might deal with a list of lists.
In this case, the shallow copy does not behave the way you expect. Instead, it creates an independent copy of the outer list, but the inner lists are bound to the original list.
I know it sounds confusing.
Let me show what this means by running a simple experiment in which I:
Create a list of lists.
Create a shallow copy of the list.
Modify the first list’s first object.
import copy numbers = [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]] new_numbers = copy.copy(numbers) numbers[0][0] = 1000 print(numbers) print(new_numbers)Output:
[[1000, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]] [[1000, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]]Here changing the first element of the first list affects the copied version of the list even though the new list should be a copy of the original one.
But why does this happen?
Let’s first compare the IDs of the lists to see if they are the same object:
print(id(numbers)) print(id(new_numbers))Output:
140602923260928 140602923261632Even the IDs do not match! This means new_numbers should be a true copy of numbers—and it is!
But why do the values still change in the copied list?
This is because copy.copy() creates a shallow copy.
This means the whole list is copied, but the lists inside the list are not. In other words, the inner lists refer to the lists in the original list.
I know this sounds strange, but this is how it works.
Let’s verify this by checking the IDs of the lists inside the list:
print(id(numbers[0]), id(numbers[1]), id(numbers[2])) print(id(new_numbers[0]), id(new_numbers[1]), id(new_numbers[2]))Output:
140685291558208 140685291498496 140685291708160 140685291558208 140685291498496 140685291708160As you can see, all the inner list IDs are the same.
So the outer list is copied but the inner lists are still bound to the original list of lists.
To put it together, here is an illustration of how copy.copy() works on a list of lists.
This highlights the behavior of shallow copying in Python.
As stated earlier, to create a completely independent copy, use the copy.deepcopy() function. Let’s take a closer look at this function to see what it does.
Deep Copy: copy.deepcopy()Another key function in the copy module is the deepcopy() function.
This function creates a completely independent copy of a list or any other compound object in Python.
For example, let’s repeat the example in the previous chapter using deepcopy():
import copy numbers = [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]] new_numbers = copy.deepcopy(numbers) numbers[0][0] = 1000 print(numbers) print(new_numbers)Output:
[[1000, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]] [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]]As you can see, changing the first element in the first list did not affect the copied list.
In other words, you have successfully created a completely independent copy of the original list.
No part in the deep-copied list points to the original list. Thus, a deep copy creates a truly independent copy.
I recommend you play with the examples to learn what is happening truly.
Copying a Number Object in PythonThis guide would not be complete if we did not talk about copying other objects than lists. It is important to realize everything related to copying lists applies to copying any other Python object.
Let’s repeat the very first example in this guide using integers instead of lists.
In other words, let’s:
Create a number variable.
Copy the number to another variable using the assignment operator.
Change the original number.
See what happens to the copy.
a = 10 b = a a = 50 print(a, b)Output:
50 10As you can see, changing the original number a did not change the number b. This is probably something you would expect.
But this contradicts what we said earlier about copying Python objects: A Python object cannot be copied using the assignment operator.
However, looking at the above example, it seems b is an independent copy of a because changing a does not change b.
Even though this happens, b is not a copy of a. This is important to understand. You can verify this by checking the IDs of the variables before changing the value in a.
a = 10 b = a print(id(a)) print(id(b))Output:
9789280 9789280As you can see, the IDs match. In other words, a and b are both aliases to the same integer object in memory.
But why does changing a not change b then?
It all boils down to mutability.
First of all, you need to recall that a variable is just a label via which you can access an object that lives somewhere in memory. So if you change the value of a variable, you aren’t actually changing the variable itself, but the object in memory that it refers to.
In Python, integer objects are immutable. Immutability means you cannot make direct changes to integer objects. If you assign a new integer to a variable, you create a new integer object in memory and set the existing variable point to that new memory address.
On the other hand, a list is a mutable object. This means you can change the list object directly. So if you assign an existing list to a new variable, you are making the new variable point to the original list.
This describes Python mutability in a nutshell.
Now, let’s go back to the example of copying an integer. Let’s print the IDs of the variables before and after changing the value in a:
a = 10 b = a print(f"Before assignment id(a) = {id(a)}, id(b) = {id(b)}") a = 50 print(f"After assignment id(a) = {id(a)}, id(b) = {id(b)}")Output:
Before assignment id(a) = 9789280, id(b) = 9789280 After assignment id(a) = 9790560, id(b) = 9789280The IDs of variables a and b match before assigning a new value to a but not afterward.
In other words, before changing the value in a:
a and b point to the same integer object in memory.
And after changing the value in a:
a points to a new integer object in memory but b still points to where a used to point.
So after assigning a new value to variable a, it points to a new integer object in memory. This happens because of immutability. The integer object 10 cannot directly change. Instead, a new integer object needs to be created.
Here is a quick illustration of how the code works:
Assigning a new integer to a creates a new integer object where the variable a points to.
To recap, the assignment operator (=) cannot be used to copy objects in Python. However, when dealing with immutable objects, it looks as if this was the case. But it is not.
If someone tells you to copy a variable, technically you need to use copy.copy() or copy.deepcopy() instead of the assignment operator.
However, when dealing with immutable objects, this is unnecessary, as the behavior is the same regardless of whether you used copy module or assignment operator.
But with mutable objects, you need to use the copy module to create a real copy of the object.
At this point, you understand why the assignment operator does not copy objects in Python. You also learned how to use the copy module to create copies of Python objects.
Now that you understand what is a shallow copy and a deep copy, let’s put it all together by taking a look at 5 common ways to copy a list in Python.
5 Ways to Copy a List in PythonThere are five main ways to copy a list in Python:
Let’s see examples of each of these
1. The copy() MethodAs of Python 3.3, a list comes with a built-in copy() method. This method creates a shallow copy of the list.
For example:
numbers = [1, 2, 3] new_numbers = numbers.copy() print(numbers) print(new_numbers)Output:
[1, 2, 3] [1, 2, 3] 2. The [:] Slicing operatorIn Python, slicing means pulling a range of values from an iterable, such as a list.
Slicing goes with the syntax of:
iterable[start:end]Where start specifies the starting index and end specifies the ending index.
If you do not specify the start parameter, slicing starts from the very first element. If you do not specify the end, the slicing ends at the very last element.
Calling iterable[:] returns a slice that represents the whole iterable. In other words, it returns a copy of a list when called on a list.
Notice that this also creates a shallow copy.
For instance:
numbers = [1, 2, 3] new_numbers = numbers[:] print(numbers) print(new_numbers)Output:
[1, 2, 3] [1, 2, 3] 3. The list() FunctionTo convert an object to a list in Python, you can use the built-in list() function. This function creates a new list object for the input argument.
When you call the list() function on a list in Python, you force it to create a copy of the original list. The type of this copy is also shallow.
For instance:
numbers = [1, 2, 3] new_numbers = list(numbers) print(numbers) print(new_numbers)Output:
[1, 2, 3] [1, 2, 3] 4. The copy.copy() FunctionAs discussed earlier in this guide, there is a dedicated module copy for copying Python objects.
One of the functions in this module is the copy() function. This function creates a shallow copy of a Python object. You can use copy.copy() to create a copy of a list.
For instance:
import copy numbers = [1, 2, 3] new_numbers = copy.copy(numbers) print(numbers) print(new_numbers)Output:
[1, 2, 3] [1, 2, 3] 5. The copy.deepcopy() FunctionThe only way to create a truly independent deep copy of a Python object is by using the copy.deepcopy() function.
The difference between a shallow copy and a deep copy is only relevant to objects that consist of objects. This is comprehensively explained earlier in this guide.
You can use copy.deepcopy() to create a deep copy of a list.
For example:
import copy numbers = [1, 2, 3] new_numbers = copy.deepcopy(numbers) print(numbers) print(new_numbers)Output:
[1, 2, 3] [1, 2, 3] ConclusionToday you learned how to copy a Python list successfully.
To recap, copying using the assignment operator is not possible. Instead of copying, it creates a new alias to the original object. This means changing the original object changes the “copy” as well.
To truly copy an object in Python, use the copy module’s functions:
copy.copy() for a shallow copy where compound objects are bound to the original object.
copy.deepcopy() for a deep and completely independent copy.
Further ReadingPython Interview Questions
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Python Filter List: 5 Practical Methods Explained
An important aspect of data analysis is to get the right data. You need a mechanism to find and extract relevant data. Lists are one of the frequently used data structures and Python offers multiple ways of filtering a list to get relevant data.
In Python, you can filter lists using the built-in `filter()` function, list comprehensions, or ‘for’ loops combined with conditional statements. The `filter()` function applies a specific function to a list and returns an iterable for the elements where the function returned True, list comprehensions provide a concise syntax for creating new lists based on existing ones, and ‘for’ loops can also be used with ‘if’ statements to iterate over a list.
If you’re a beginner, you’ll find yourself confused about choosing the right filter method for your use case. This blog will help you understand 5 ways of filtering a list in Python. Furthermore, you’ll gain knowledge on when to use what method.
Let’s get into it!
In this section, we’ll talk about 5 ways of filtering a list in Python.
We’ll go over the following:
Filtering with built-in filter function
Filtering with list comprehension
Filtering with loops and conditional statements
Filtering with NumPy library
Filtering with Pandas library
Python comes loaded with a range of functions to help make programming more efficient. As you utilize filtering methods in your code, you’ll find that in most cases, the built-in filter() function will be your go-to method for filtering.
The filter() is a built-in Python function that allows you to process an iterable (like a list or tuple) and extract elements that satisfy a specific condition.
The syntax for the filter() function is as follows:
filter(function, iterable)The function inside filter() is a custom function that tests each element in the iterable to determine if it satisfies the given condition. If the function returns True for an element, it’s included in the output.
The following example shows how to filter elements with the filter() function:
def is_even(x): return x % 2 == 0 my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] result = filter(is_even, my_list) new_list = list(result) print(new_list)In this example, the built-in filter() function applies the is_even() function to the list elements. The filter() function returns an iterator, which is then converted to a new list containing only the even numbers. The even elements are kept, whereas the odd elements are filtered out.
The filtered list is shown below:
You can also use lambda functions with the filter() function to create more concise and readable code.
The following example demonstrates using lambda expressions with filter() function:
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] result = filter(lambda x: x % 2 == 0, my_list) new_list = list(result) print(new_list)In this example, the lambda expression replaces the is_even() function.
The lambda function returns true if the number is even, else it returns false.
The built-in filter() function takes two arguments: a function and a list.
The filter() function is useful when you have an existing function that you want to apply to a sequence. It’s often used in functional programming styles.
List comprehension allows you to build lists based on existing lists or iterable objects. It allows you to perform operations such as filter in a single line of code.
Suppose we have a list of numbers and we want to create a new list containing the squares of only the even numbers. We can use a list comprehension to achieve this:
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] even_squares = [x ** 2 for x in numbers if x % 2 == 0] print(even_squares)In this example, the expression x ** 2 calculates the square of each element x in numbers. The if condition filters out only even elements, and the final list comprehension returns a new list containing the squares of those even values.
This is a Pythonic way of creating lists based on existing lists. It’s useful when the logic can be implemented in a single line. It’s often recommended when you want concise, readable code and the filtering logic is not overly complicated.
You can also filter a list with loops and conditional statements, but this is generally not preferred in large-scale projects.
To filter a list, we iterate through its elements and apply a specific criterion to each element. If the criterion is met (returns True), the element is added to the output list; otherwise, it’s excluded (returns False).
The following example demonstrates this method:
input_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] output_list = [] for number in input_list: if number % 2 == 0: output_list.append(number) print(output_list) # Output: [2, 4, 6]In this example, we use a for loop to iterate through the elements in input_list. Inside the loop, we use an if statement to check if the number is even by using the modulus operator (%). If the condition evaluates to True, the number is appended to the output_list.
This is a basic way to filter a list and does not require any additional Python knowledge beyond loops and conditions. It’s easy to understand and can be used in any situation, but it may lead to more verbose code compared to other methods. If you use multiple if-else conditions, your code easily becomes unreadable.
NumPy is used for numerical computations and has support for arrays. You can filter arrays in NumPy using boolean indexing.
An example of filtering with NumPy is given below:
import numpy as np list_1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] numbers = np.array(list_1) evens = numbers[numbers % 2 == 0] print(evens)In this example, we perform the operation numbers % 2 == 0. This operation is applied to every element in the numbers array which results in a boolean array.
We use this boolean array to index the original numbers array, which effectively filters out the even numbers.
This is useful when you’re dealing with numerical data and you need to perform operations on multi-dimensional arrays. NumPy has powerful and efficient array filtering capabilities, especially for larger datasets. If you are working on numerical computations and performance is a concern, NumPy can be a good choice.
Pandas is widely used for data manipulation and analysis. The filtering of a Pandas Series is similar to the filtering of a NumPy array, but instead of the array, we’re working with a Series object.
The following example demonstrates filtering a list with Pandas library:
import pandas as pd numbers = pd.Series([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]) evens = numbers[numbers % 2 == 0] print(evens)In this example, we perform the operation numbers % 2 == 0. This operation is applied to every element in the numbers Series resulting in a boolean series.
We use this boolean Series to index the original numbers Series, which filters out the even numbers.
Pandas is great for data manipulation and analysis. It’s especially useful when you are dealing with structured data like CSV, Excel files, or SQL databases.
If your data is more complex than simple lists or your filtering logic involves complex operations like group by, merge, join, etc., then pandas would be the go-to choice.
Filtering is a fundamental operation. Whether you’re handling small data lists or enormous datasets, the ability to filter and extract meaningful information is essential.
Learning these techniques not only broadens your skill set but also prepares you for the varied and often unpredictable nature of real-world programming tasks.
Understanding when and how to use different filtering methods — built-in functions, list comprehension, loops, NumPy, or Pandas — enables you to write more efficient and readable code. Happy coding!
To learn more about how to use Python, check out the playlist below:
You can filter object by using the built-in filter() function. The filter() function accepts two arguments: a filtering function and an iterable (e.g., a list). The filtering function should return either True or False for each element in the iterable.
In the example below, the filter() function returns a new iterable containing only those elements that satisfy the filtering function.
my_objects = [obj1, obj2, obj3, obj4] def filtering_function(obj): filtered_objects = filter(filtering_function, my_objects)There are multiple ways to filter a list of strings in Python, including using filter() or list comprehensions. The method you choose depends on your specific requirements and coding style preferences.
Here’s an example of list comprehension:
string_list = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "kiwi"] filtered_list = [x for x in string_list if "a" in x]You can use the lambda function to create an anonymous filtering function for the filter() function.
For example, if you want to filter a list of integers to include only even numbers, you can use the following one-liner:
int_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] filtered_list = list(filter(lambda x: x % 2 == 0, int_list))List comprehensions offer a more concise way to filter lists in Python. They consist of an expression followed by a for statement and an optional if statement, all within square brackets.
The following example filters a list of numbers to keep only the positive ones:
numbers = [-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3]To filter a list of dictionaries, you can use list comprehensions or the filter() function.
Here’s an example using list comprehension to filter a list of dictionaries based on the value of a specific key:
dict_list = [ {"id": 1, "name": "Alice"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Bob"}, {"id": 3, "name": "Charlie"}, ]Python arrays can be filtered in the same way as lists, using either the filter() function or list comprehensions.
For example, you can filter a NumPy array as follows:
import numpy as np array = np.array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])In this example, the array is filtered using boolean indexing to keep only the elements greater than 3.
How To Install Python Pip For Python Packages
Python isn’t just a programming language for beginners—it’s a powerful and fully-fledged language, with an enormous number of third-party packages and libraries created around it. Rather than code everything yourself, you can deploy these third-party packages and use them as part of your own coding projects.
You might find these by searching GitHub or the web, but you can also use PIP, the package manager for Python, to do this instead. PIP allows you to search for and install Python PIP packages from the Python Package Index, with thousands of packages available.
Table of Contents
What Is PIP?PIP, or Package Installer for Python, allows you to install packages from the central repository of Python packages available at the Python Package Index. In simple terms, it acts as an app store for Python, allowing you to install Python packages from a command line or terminal without needing to locate them yourself.
Linux users will already be familiar with this process—package managers are an essential part of the Linux user experience, with APT, Pacman, and others allowing you to install different software on various Linux distributions from a terminal window.
You’ll need Python installed before you can begin to use PIP. macOS and most Linux distributions will already have Python installed, but you’ll need to install it manually on Windows 10. You’ll also need to do this if your Linux distribution doesn’t have Python installed (or has an older version of Python) using the package manager for your distribution.
Installing Python PIP On LinuxIf you’re using Python 3.4 or above (or Python 2.7.9 or above), you don’t need to install PIP on Linux, as it’s already installed. Check this by opening a terminal window and typing python3 –version to check your installed Python version, then use python -m pip or python3 -m pip to use it.
For Python versions below 2.7.9 or 3.4, installing Python PIP on Linux will depend on the system package manager in use. Here’s how to install PIP on various Linux platforms.
Installing Python PIP On WindowsUnlike Linux, Windows doesn’t come with Python pre-installed. That means you’ll need to download and install Python for Windows first before you can begin to use PIP on this platform.
If you’ve installed the most up-to-date version of Python, then you should find PIP installed alongside your Python installation. As we’ve mentioned, Python 2.7.9 and Python 3.4 installations (and above) should have PIP installed automatically.
If you’re using an older Python version, you’ll need to use the get-pip script to install pip automatically.
Download the chúng tôi script to your Windows PC. In an elevated PowerShell or command line with administrative access, type python chúng tôi to automatically install PIP.
This should automatically install Python PIP for you to use. You can then run it from a PowerShell or command line window by typing pip or python -m pip.
How To Install Python PIP On macOSLike Linux, macOS usually comes with Python installed, as well as a version of PIP. Both Python and PIP on macOS are likely to be outdated, compared to the most recent release, but it should work as normal by opening a macOS terminal window and typing pip or python -m pip (or pip3 or python3 -m pip).
If you want to update Python and PIP together, you can do this easily using the Homebrew package manager for macOS.
If you have Homebrew installed, open a terminal window and type brew install python to update your installation to the latest version of Python 3.x. To install an older Python 2.x installation, type brew install python@2 instead.
Once it’s installed, type pip or python -m pip (or pip3 or python3 -m pip) at the tutorial to run PIP and see a list of available PIP flags.
Updating PIPIf you already have PIP installed, but you want to update it to the latest version, you can do that using PIP itself.
For macOS and Linux users, type pip install -U pip to begin the update process. You can also use pip3 install -U pip or python -m pip install -U pip instead.
Windows users can install Python PIP by opening up a PowerShell or command line with admin access and typing python -m pip install -U pip.
Installing & Uninstalling Python Packages Using PIPOnce PIP is installed, updated, and ready to use on your chosen platform, you can finally begin to use it to download and install Python packages, or use it to uninstall existing packages.
To install a new Python package using PIP, type pip install package or python -m pip install package, replacing package with the name of the package. You may need to use pip3 or python3 on certain platforms like macOS if you have both Python 2.x and Python 3.x installed.
To see a list of all installed Python packages, type pip list or python -m pip list. Use pip3 or python3 for Python 3.x packages on certain platforms.
To remove a package, type pip uninstall package or python -m pip uninstall package, replacing package with the package name. Use pip3 or python3 on certain platforms if you have both Python 2.x and 3.x installed. Press y to confirm the uninstallation.
Using PIP To Develop Better Python ProjectsOnce you know how to install Python PIP and use it to install new packages, you immediately have access to an endless number of libraries and other projects that will allow you to develop bigger and better projects of your own using Python.
Python is one of the best programming languages to learn, especially for new coders, thanks to an easy-to-understand syntax and an endless number of resources for beginners.
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