Python List Methods

Explore all the essential methods for manipulating Python lists. Learn how to add, remove, sort, and search elements with clear examples..

Table of Contents

• Common List Methods
• More Methods …
  • List Index() Method

Common List Methods

• append(item) – Adds an item to the end
• insert(index, item) – Adds item at specific index
• remove(item) – Removes the first matching item
• pop(index) – Removes item at given index (default is last)
• sort() - Sort the list

Adding Elements to a List

You can add elements to a list using methods like append() or insert().

fruits = ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Mango', 'Orange']

# Append an element to the end of the list
fruits.append("Grape")
print(fruits)  # Output: ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Mango', 'Orange', 'Grape']

# Insert an element at a specific position
fruits.insert(1, "Orange")
print(fruits)  # Output: ['Apple', 'Orange', 'Banana', 'Mango', 'Orange', 'Grape']

Removing Elements from a List

Elements can be removed from a list using methods like remove(), pop(), or del.

# Remove a specific element by value
fruits.remove("Banana")
print(fruits)  # Output: ['Apple', 'Orange', 'Mango', 'Orange', 'Grape']

# Remove last element by using pop
fruits.pop() # Output: ['Apple', 'Orange', 'Mango', 'Orange']

# Remove an element by index using pop
fruits.pop(1)
print(fruits)  # Output:  ['Apple', 'Mango', 'Orange']

📺 Video Tutorial: Adding and Removing Elements from a Python List

This video covers:

• ✔️ Adding elements to a list using the append [00:22] and insert [00:35] methods.
• ✔️ Comparing the performance of append and insert [00:52].
• ✔️ Removing elements from a list using the remove [01:24] and pop [01:45] methods.
• ✔️ Demonstrating how pop removes and returns elements [01:50], including the last item when no index is specified [02:34].

📺 Python Tutorial in Urdu: List pop() Method

This video covers:

• ✔️ A list of colors as an example [00:00].
• ✔️ The pop method removes the last item in a list by default and displays it [00:38].
• ✔️ Remove an item at a specific index by specifying it in the pop method [00:46].

Sorting Elements in a List

You can sort elements in a list using the sort() method.

numbers = [3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6, 5]
fruits = ['Apple', 'banana', 'Mango', 'orange']

# Sort a list in ascending order (modifies the original list)
numbers.sort()
print(numbers)  # Output: [1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 9]

# Sort a list in descending order
numbers.sort(reverse=True)
print(numbers)  # Output: [9, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1]

# Case-sensitive sort (ASCII order: uppercase comes before lowercase)
fruits.sort()
print(fruits)  # Output: ['Apple', 'Mango', 'banana', 'orange']

For more details on sorting, see Sorting Techniques in Python - Sorting How To

Example: Real-World Uses of Python List Common Methods: Managing Tasks & Organizing Data

1. append(item) – Adding a new task to a to-do list

• Scenario: You have a to-do list, and you want to add a new task at the end.
• Code Example:

  todo_list = ["Buy groceries", "Finish report"]
  todo_list.append("Call mom")
  print(todo_list)  # Output: ["Buy groceries", "Finish report", "Call mom"]
  

2. insert(index, item) – Adding an emergency task at a specific position

• Scenario: Your to-do list has tasks, but an urgent meeting comes up, so you insert it at the top.
• Code Example:

  todo_list = ["Buy groceries", "Finish report"]
  todo_list.insert(0, "Attend emergency meeting")
  print(todo_list)  # Output: ["Attend emergency meeting", "Buy groceries", "Finish report"]
  

3. remove(item) – Removing a completed task

• Scenario: You finished “Buy groceries,” so you remove it from the list.
• Code Example:

  todo_list = ["Buy groceries", "Finish report", "Call mom"]
  todo_list.remove("Buy groceries")
  print(todo_list)  # Output: ["Finish report", "Call mom"]
  

4. pop(index) – Removing the last task (or a specific one)

• Scenario: You decide to drop the last task (or a task at a given position).
• Code Example:

  todo_list = ["Finish report", "Call mom", "Pay bills"]
  last_task = todo_list.pop()  # Removes & returns "Pay bills"
  print(todo_list)  # Output: ["Finish report", "Call mom"]
       
  # Removing a task at index 0
  first_task = todo_list.pop(0)  # Removes & returns "Finish report"
  print(todo_list)  # Output: ["Call mom"]
  

5. sort() – Sorting a list of names alphabetically

• Scenario: You have a list of attendees for an event and want to sort them alphabetically.
• Code Example:

  attendees = ["Zara", "Alice", "Bob", "Eve"]
  attendees.sort()
  print(attendees)  # Output: ["Alice", "Bob", "Eve", "Zara"]
  

Tasks

Task 1: Using List Methods

Write a Python program that:

• Creates a list of three programming languages.
• Adds a new language using append().
• Inserts another language at the second position using insert().
• Removes the last language using pop().
• Prints the final list.

Example Output:

Initial List: ['Python', 'Java', 'C++']
After Append: ['Python', 'Java', 'C++', 'JavaScript']
After Insert: ['Python', 'Ruby', 'Java', 'C++', 'JavaScript']
After Pop: ['Python', 'Ruby', 'Java', 'C++']

Task 2: Adding to a List

Write a Python program that:

• Creates an empty list.
• Asks the user to enter three city names and adds them to the list.
• Prints the final list.

Example Input:

Enter a city: Paris  
Enter a city: London  
Enter a city: Tokyo  

Example Output:

Cities: ['Paris', 'London', 'Tokyo']

Include Error Handling Tips

• Mention common mistakes (e.g., IndexError when accessing out-of-range indices).
• Suggest using len(list) to check list length.

Example Addition:

colors = ["red", "blue"]
try:
    print(colors[2])  # Raises IndexError
except IndexError:
    print("Index out of range!")

More Methods

Index() Method - To find the position of the first occurrence

Further reading

• Python Nested List
• Check if Data Structure is Empty Using ‘not’ Operator
• Remove duplicate elements from a list

References

• [1] Python Software Foundation, The Python Tutorial: Data Structures. [Online]. Available: https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/datastructures.html. [Accessed: May 5, 2025].

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