Lists in Python

[tim]

In Python, a list is just an ordered collection of items (similarly to how a string is series of characters).
In a list, items can hold anything (for example strings, or numbers).

To declare a list, we declared comma separated items inside square brackets for example like below.
[1,"two",3,4]

The example above is a list that has the number 1 as the first item, the string "two" as the second item, the number 3 as the third item and the number 4 as the fourth item.

we can declare a variable and set it to hold a list like below
my_list = [1,"two",3,4]

Now to refer to the 1st item (because in Python indexes start at zero), we just have to write:
my_list[0]

There are some functions that we can use to manipulate (add/delete items from) a list. The function/method to add an item to end of list is called append, for example
my_list.append(5)
will add an item that is the number 5 to the end of list.
The function/method to delete an item at a certain index in the list is called del, for example
del(my_list[1])
will delete the item at index 1 (which is the 2nd item) from my_list.

To play with what you've learned in this lesson, go here

Next Lesson: Ranges and For Loops in Python Previous Lesson: Numbers in Python

[Krikor]

Tim,
Is it possible to add an item at a certain index in the list or just to the end of the list?

Something like when you delete an item from the list.

The function/method to delete an item at a certain index in the list is called del, for example
del(my_list[1])

Thx Tim!

[tim]

@Krikor ,

There's an insert function.
For example if your list is named my_list then the syntax is mylist.insert(index,item).
example code:
mylist = [1,2,3]

mylist.insert(1,5)

print(mylist)

try playing with it here.