Lists & loops
Iterate, transform, and combine sequences with readable loop patterns.
Compare Two Lists in Python: Common, Only in First, Only in Second
A beginner-friendly helper that loops over two lists and returns items common to both, items only in the first list, and items only in the second list.
def compare_lists(list1, list2):
common = []
only_in_first = []
only_in_second = []
for item in list1:
if item in list2:
common.append(item)
else:
only_in_first.append(item)
for item in list2:
if item not in list1:
only_in_second…Extract Data by Type from a List in Python: Numbers and Strings
Loop through a mixed list to filter out numeric and string values into separate lists.
def extract_numbers(items):
"""Extract all numeric values from a mixed list."""
numbers = []
for item in items:
if isinstance(item, (int, float)) and not isinstance(item, bool):
numbers.append(item)
return numbers
def extract_strings(items):
"""Extract all string values from a…Generate Data Helper for Beginners in Python
Define two functions that create a random list of integers and then compute basic summary statistics like count, total, average, maximum, and minimum using simple loops.
from random import randint
def build_dataset(size: int, max_val: int) -> list[int]:
data = []
for _ in range(size):
data.append(randint(1, max_val))
return data
def summarize(data: list[int]) -> dict[str, float]:
total = 0
maximum = data[0]
minimum = data[0]
for value in data:
…How to Convert Data Types in Python Lists
Convert a mixed list of values to integers, floats, or strings based on their content, with graceful fallback for unparseable strings.
def convert_data(data):
"""Convert a mixed list of values to strings, ints, and floats."""
result = []
for item in data:
if isinstance(item, (int, float)):
result.append(str(item))
elif isinstance(item, str):
try:
if '.' in item:
r…How to Filter None Values from a Mixed List in Python
Filter None values from a mixed Python list using a list comprehension with the `is not None` condition.
mixed_list = [1, None, "hello", None, 3.14, None, [1, 2], None]
filtered_list = [item for item in mixed_list if item is not None]
print(f"Original list: {mixed_list}")
print(f"Filtered list: {filtered_list}")
print(f"Original length: {len(mixed_list)}, Filtered length: {len(filtered_list)}")How to Normalize a List of Numbers in Python
This Python function normalizes a list of numeric values to the range [0, 1] using min-max scaling, returning a new list and leaving the original unchanged.
def normalize(data):
"""
Normalize a list of numeric values to the range [0, 1].
Returns a new list, leaving the original unchanged.
"""
if not data:
return []
min_val = min(data)
max_val = max(data)
# Handle the edge case where all values are identical
if min_val …How to Normalize a List of Numbers to the 0-1 Range in Python
Scale a list of numbers so the minimum becomes 0 and the maximum becomes 1 using min-max normalization.
def min_max_normalize(values):
"""Normalize a list of numbers to the [0, 1] range."""
if not values:
return []
min_val = min(values)
max_val = max(values)
if min_val == max_val:
return [0.0] * len(values)
return [(x - min_val) / (max_val - min_val) for x in values]
if __name__…How to Parse Delimited Data into a Python List
Splits a pipe-delimited string, strips whitespace, filters empty items, and returns a clean list with a loop.
def parse_data(raw_data):
"""Parse a pipe-delimited string into a list of cleaned items."""
items = raw_data.split("|")
parsed = []
for item in items:
cleaned = item.strip()
if cleaned:
parsed.append(cleaned)
return parsed
if __name__ == "__main__":
data = " apple…How to Standardize a List with Z-Score Normalization in Python
This code computes the z-score for each number in a list, standardizing the data to have zero mean and unit variance using the statistics module.
import statistics
def z_score_normalize(values):
"""Standardize a list of numbers using z-score normalization."""
if not values or len(values) < 2:
raise ValueError("Need at least 2 values for meaningful z-score normalization")
mean = statistics.mean(values)
std_dev = statistics.stdev(val…How to Validate List Data in Python
A beginner-friendly validation helper that checks if data is a list, enforces minimum length, and optionally verifies item types with clear error messages.
def validate_data(data, expected_types=None, min_length=1):
"""Validate that data is a non-empty list and optionally check item types."""
if not isinstance(data, list):
return False, f"Expected a list, got {type(data).__name__}"
if len(data) < min_length:
return False, f"List must have…How to check list items by type and emptiness in Python
Loop through a list with enumerate(), classify each item as empty, number, or text, and print a formatted status for each element.
def check_data(data):
"""Check each item in a list and print whether it's valid."""
for i, item in enumerate(data):
if item is None or item == "":
status = "empty"
elif isinstance(item, (int, float)):
status = "number"
else:
status = "text"
pr…Replace Negative Values in a List with Python
This code defines a function that replaces every negative number in a list with a replacement value, defaulting to zero, using a list comprehension.
def replace_if_negative(values, replacement=0):
return [replacement if value < 0 else value for value in values]
if __name__ == "__main__":
numbers = [5, -3, 8, -1, 0, -7, 2]
result = replace_if_negative(numbers)
print(f"Original: {numbers}")
print(f"Replaced: {result}")Browse by section
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Lists & loops — Python code examples
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