Functions & basics
Reusable building blocks — parameters, returns, scope, and clear function design.
How to Sort a List of Dictionaries by Key with a Lambda in Python
Sort a list of dictionaries ascending or descending by one of their keys using sorted() with a lambda as the key function — a beginner-friendly pattern.
def get_students():
return [
{"name": "alice", "score": 85},
{"name": "bob", "score": 92},
{"name": "carol", "score": 78},
{"name": "dave", "score": 92},
]
students = get_students()
sorted_by_score = sorted(students, key=lambda s: s["score"])
print("Sorted by score (ascending)…How to Sort a List of Numbers in Python with Default Parameters
Define a reusable sort function that uses a default parameter to sort a list of numbers in ascending or descending order.
def sort_numbers(numbers, reverse=False):
"""Sort a list of numbers in ascending or descending order."""
return sorted(numbers, reverse=reverse)
def main():
numbers = [5, 2, 9, 1, 7, 3]
# Default sort (ascending)
ascending = sort_numbers(numbers)
print(f"Ascending: {ascending}")
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Functions & basics — Python code examples
What you will find here
This page collects functions & basics snippets — short, copy-ready Python you can paste into our free online IDE and run without installing anything. Each sample includes a plain-English explanation and the full source code.
Samples vs tutorials and challenges
Samples are quick reference — one concept per page. For step-by-step teaching, use our Python tutorials. To test yourself, try quizzes or coding challenges. Clean up style with the Python formatter.