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Sorting a list in Python

schedule Aug 12, 2023
Last updated
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Python
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There are two main ways to sort a list in Python:

  • list.sort(~) : permanently modifies the order of the original list.

  • sorted(~) : returns your list in a sorted order but does not actually modify the original list.

list.sort(~)

To sort the list animals in descending alphabetical order:

animals = ['cat', 'doge', 'bird']
print("Return value of sort: ", animals.sort(reverse=True))
print("Animals: ", animals)
Return value of sort: None
Animals: ['doge', 'cat', 'bird']

Notice that nothing is returned from animals.sort(reverse = True). However, the original list is modified and the elements are now sorted in descending alphabetical order.

sorted(~)

To sort the list animals in descending alphabetical order:

animals = ['cat', 'doge', 'bird']
print("Return value of sorted: ", sorted(animals, reverse=True))
print("Animals: ", animals)
Return value of sorted: ['doge', 'cat', 'bird']
Animals: ['cat', 'doge', 'bird']

Notice that sorted(animals, reverse=True) returns the sorted list. However, the original list is unmodified.

robocat
Published by Arthur Yanagisawa
Edited by 0 others
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