Python Lists

Python Lists

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.

Create a List

Lists are created using square brackets:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print(thislist)

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.

Access Items

You access the list items by referring to the index number:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print(thislist[1])  # banana

Change List Items

To change the value of a specific item, refer to the index number:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
thislist[1] = "blackcurrant"
print(thislist)  # ['apple', 'blackcurrant', 'cherry']

Add List Items

To add an item to the end of the list, use the append() method:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
thislist.append("orange")
print(thislist)  # ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'orange']

Remove List Items

There are several methods to remove items from a list:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
thislist.remove("banana")
print(thislist)  # ['apple', 'cherry']