Examples

Consider the following DataFrame:

Accessing a single row

To access the second row:

Since we have a single scalar within the [], the return type here is Series.

Accessing a subset of rows

To access rows at positions 0 and 2:

Since we have a list within the [], the return type here is DataFrame.

Accessing rows using slicing syntax

For reference, we show the df here again:

Slicing works in a similar manner to that of Python's standard lists.

To access rows from positions 0 (inclusive) up until position 2 (exclusive):

If you do not specify the start point (e.g. [:2]) or the end point (e.g. [1:]), then iloc will return all rows from the beginning or until the end. For instance, to get all rows from index 1:

Accessing rows using boolean masks

We can provide a boolean mask (i.e. an array-like structure of booleans) to fetch rows as well.

For your reference, we show the df here again:

For instance, consider the following mask:

With this approach, all rows corresponding to True will be returned. Since rows at positions 0 and 2 correspond to False in the mask, those rows are excluded.

Note that the length of the boolean mask must be the same as that of the number of rows in the DataFrame.

Accessing rows using functions

We can also pass a function to iloc to specify what rows to fetch.

For your reference, we show the df here again:

To fetch rows with index greater than "b":

For those unfamiliar with Python lambdas, the function can be interpreted like follows:

Here, note the following:

• x represents the source DataFrame, that is, df.

• the function returns an array of booleans, where rows corresponding to True will be returned.

Accessing a single value

We can also access a single value in the DataFrame with iloc.

For your reference, we show the df here again:

To access the value at position [1,1]:

Accessing values using rows and columns

Consider the following DataFrame:

Using arrays

To access the subset residing at row positions 0 and 2 with column positions 0 and 1:

Using slicing

You can also use slicing syntax here too:

Here, we are fetching all rows including and after position 1, as well as all columns up until the column at position 2 (exclusive).

Using Boolean Masks

Boolean masks work here as well:

Here, we are fetching all rows including and after position 1, with the columns that correspond to True in the boolean mask. In this case, we are including columns at position 0 and 2.

Copy versus view

Depending on the context, iloc can either return a view or a copy. Unfortunately, the rule by which one is returned is convoluted so it is best practise to actually check this yourself using the _is_view property.

There is a one rule that is handy to remember - iloc returns view of the data when a single column is extracted:

Since col_B is a view, modifying col_B will mutate the original df.

Updating values using iloc

Consider the following DataFrame:

Updating a single value

To update the value at row 1, column 1:

Updating multiple values

To update multiple values, simply use any of the access patterns described above and then assign a new value using =. For instance, to update the second column: