Data Collections

Zelle - Chapter 11
Charles Severance - www.dr-chuck.com

Textbook: Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science, John Zelle

 What is not a “Collection”
• Most of our variables have one value in them - when we put a new
value in the variable - the old value is over written

$ python
Python 2.5.2 (r252:60911, Feb 22 2008, 07:57:53)
[GCC 4.0.1 (Apple Computer, Inc. build 5363)] on darwin
>>> x = 2
>>> x = 4
>>> print x
4
 What is a Collection?

• A collection is nice because we can put more than one value in them
and carry them all around in one convenient package.

• We have a bunch of values in a single “variable”

• We do this by having more than one place “in” the variable.

• We have ways of fnding the different places in the variable

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 A Story of Two Collections..
• List

• A linear collection of values that stay in order

• Dictionary

• A “bag” of values, each with its own label

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 The Python List Object

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>>> grades = list() The grades variable will have a list of values.
>>> grades.append(100)
>>> grades.append(97) Append some values to the list.
>>> grades.append(100)

>>> print sum(grades) Add up the values in the list using the sum()
297 function.

>>> print grades

What is in the list?
[100, 97, 100]

>>> print sum(grades)/3.0

Figure the average...
99.0
>>>
>>> print grades
[100, 97, 100] What is in grades?

>>> newgr = list(grades)

Make a copy of the
>>> print newgr entire grades list.
[100, 97, 100]

>>> newgr[1] = 85 Change the second new grade

(starts at [0])
>>> print newgr
[100, 85, 100]

>>> print grades The original grades are unchanged.

[100, 97, 100]
 Looking in Lists...
>>> print grades
[100, 97, 100]

• We use square brackets to look >>> print grades[0]

up which element in the list we 100
are interested in.
>>> print grades[1]
• grades[2] translates to “grades 97
sub 2”
>>> print grades[2]
• Kind of like in math x2
100
 Why lists start at zero?
• Initially it does not make sense that
the frst element of a list is stored at
the zeroth position

• grades[0]

• Math Convention - Number line

• Computer performance - don’t have

to subtract 1 in the computer all
Elevators in Europe!
the time
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 Fun With Lists

• Python has many features that allow us to do things to an entire list in

a single statement

• Lists are powerful objects

>>> lst = [ 21, 14, 4, 3, 12, 18] >>> print lst
>>> print lst [21, 14, 3, 12, 18, 50]
[21, 14, 4, 3, 12, 18] >>> print lst.index(18)
>>> print 18 in lst 4
True >>> lst.reverse()
>>> print 24 in lst >>> print lst
False [50, 18, 12, 3, 14, 21]
>>> lst.append(50) >>> lst.sort()
>>> print lst >>> print lst
[21, 14, 4, 3, 12, 18, 50] [3, 12, 14, 18, 21, 50]
>>> lst.remove(4) >>> del lst[2]
>>> print lst >>> print lst[3, 12, 18, 21, 33]
[21, 14, 3, 12, 18, 50]
z-343
 More functions for lists
>>> a = [ 1, 2, 3 ]
>>> print max(a)
3
>>> print min(a)
1
>>> print len(a)
3
>>> print sum(a)
6
>>>

http://docs.python.org/lib/built-in-funcs.html
>>>print Ist
[3,12,14,18,21,33]
>>>for xval in Ist:
… print xval
…
3
12
14 Looping through Lists
18
21
33
>>>
z-343
 List
Operations

z-343
Quick Peek: Object Oriented

<nerd-alert>
 What “is” a List Anyways?
• A list is a special kind of variable >>> i = 2
>>> i = i + 1
• Regular variables - integer >>> x = [1, 2, 3]
>>> print x
• Contain some data
[1, 2, 3]
• Smart variables - string, list >>> x.reverse()
>>> print x
• Contain some data and capabilities [3, 2, 1]

When we combine data + capabilities - we call this an “object”

One way to fnd out Capabilities

Buy a book and read it and carry it around with you.

 Lets Ask Python...
• The dir() command lists >>> x = list()
capabilities >>> type(x)
<type 'list'>
• Ignore the ones with >>> dir(x)
underscores - these are used by ['__add__', '__class__', '__contains__',
Python itself '__delattr__', '__delitem__',
'__delslice__', '__doc__',
• The rest are real operations '__eq__''__setitem__', '__setslice__',
that the object can perform '__str__', 'append', 'count', 'extend',
'index', 'insert',
• It is like type() - it tells us 'pop', 'remove', 'reverse', 'sort']
something *about* a variable >>>
 Try dir() with a String
>>> y = “Hello there”
>>> dir(y)
['__add__', '__class__', '__contains__', '__delattr__', '__doc__',
'__eq__', '__ge__', '__getattribute__', '__getitem__', '__getnewargs__',
'__getslice__', '__gt__', '__hash__', '__init__', '__le__', '__len__',
'__lt__', '__repr__', '__rmod__', '__rmul__', '__setattr__', '__str__',
'capitalize', 'center', 'count', 'decode', 'encode', 'endswith', 'expandtabs',
'find', 'index', 'isalnum', 'isalpha', 'isdigit', 'islower', 'isspace', 'istitle',
'isupper', 'join', 'ljust', 'lower', 'lstrip', 'partition', 'replace', 'rfind',
'rindex', 'rjust', 'rpartition', 'rsplit', 'rstrip', 'split', 'splitlines', 'startswith',
'strip', 'swapcase', 'title', 'translate', 'upper', 'zfill']
 What does >>> a = list()
>>> print a
[]
x = list() mean? >>> print type(a)
<type 'list'>
• These are called
>>> b = dict()
>>> print b
“constructors” - they {}
make an empty list, str, or >>> print type(b)
dictionary <type 'dict'>
>>> a.append("fred")
• We can make a “fully >>> print a
formed empty” object and ['fred']
then add data to it using >>> c = str()
capabilities (aka methods) >>> d = int()
>>> print d
0
 Object Oriented Summary

• Variables (Objects) contain data and capabilities

• The dir() function asks Python to list capabilities

• We call object capabilities “methods”

• We can construct fresh, empty objects using constructors like list()

• Everything in Python (even constants) are objects

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Python
Dictionaries
tissue
calculator

perfume
money
candy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associative_array
 Dictionaries
• Dictionaries are Python’s most powerful data collection

• Dictionaries allow us to do fast database-like operations in Python

• Dictionaries have different names in different languages

• Associative Arrays - Perl / Php

• Properties or Map or HashMap - Java

• Property Bag - C# / .Net

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 Dictionaries
• Lists label their entries >>> purse = dict()
based on the position in the >>> purse['money'] = 12
list >>> purse['candy'] = 3
>>> purse['tissues'] = 75
• Dictionaries are like bags - >>> print purse
{'money': 12, 'tissues': 75, 'candy': 3}
no order
>>> print purse['candy']
• So we mark the things we 3
>>> purse['candy'] = purse['candy'] + 2
put in the dictionary with a >>> print purse
“tag” {'money': 12, 'tissues': 75, 'candy': 5}
>>> purse = dict()
money
>>> purse['money'] = 12 candy 12
>>> purse['candy'] = 3 3
tissues
>>> purse['tissues'] = 75 75

>>> print purse

{'money': 12, 'tissues': 75, 'candy': 3}
candy
5
>>> print purse['candy']
3

>>> purse['candy'] = purse['candy'] + 2

>>> print purse

{'money': 12, 'tissues': 75, 'candy': 5}
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 Lookup in Lists and Dictionaries
• Dictionaries are like Lists except that they use keys instead of
numbers to look up values

>>> lst = list() >>> ddd = dict()

>>> lst.append(21) >>> ddd["age"] = 21
>>> lst.append(183) >>> ddd["course"] = 182
>>> print lst >>> print ddd
[21, 183] {'course': 182, 'age': 21}
>>> lst[0] = 23 >>> ddd["age"] = 23
>>> print lst >>> print ddd
[23, 183] {'course': 182, 'age': 23}
>>> lst = list()
>>> lst.append(21) List
>>> lst.append(183) Key Value
>>> print lst
[21, 183] [0] 21
lll
>>> lst[0] = 23
23 [1] 183
>>> print lst
[23, 183]

>>> ddd = dict() Dictionary

>>> ddd["age"] = 21
Key Value
>>> ddd["course"] = 182
>>> print ddd{'course': 182, 'age': 21} [course] 183
>>> ddd["age"] = 23
ddd
[age] 21
>>> print ddd
{'course': 182, 'age': 23}
Dictionary Operations

z-369
 Dictionary Literals (Constants)
• Dictionary literals use curly braces and have a list of key : value pairs

• You can make an empty dictionary using empty curly braces

>>> jjj = { 'chuck' : 1 , 'fred' : 42, 'jan': 100}

>>> print jjj
{'jan': 100, 'chuck': 1, 'fred': 42}
>>> ooo = { }
>>> print ooo
{}
>>>
 Dictionary Patterns
• One common use of dictionary is Key Value
counting how often we “see” something

>>> ccc = dict()

>>> ccc["csev"] = 1
>>> ccc["cwen"] = 1
>>> print ccc
{'csev': 1, 'cwen': 1}
>>> ccc["cwen"] = ccc["cwen"] + 1
>>> print ccc
{'csev': 1, 'cwen': 2}
 Dictionary Patterns
• It is an error to reference a key which is not in the dictionary

• We can use the in operator to see if a key is in the dictionary

>>> ccc = dict()

>>> print ccc["csev"]
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
KeyError: 'csev'
>>> print "csev" in ccc
False
ccc = dict()
if “csev” in ccc:
print “Yes”
else
print “No”

ccc[“csev”] = 20

if “csev” in ccc:
print “Yes”
else
print “No”
 Dictionary
Counting >>> ccc = dict()
>>> print ccc.get("csev", 0)
0
• Since it is an error to >>> ccc["csev"] = ccc.get("csev",0) + 1
reference a key which is not >>> print ccc
in the dictionary {'csev': 1}
>>> print ccc.get("csev", 0)
• We can use the dictionary 1
>>> ccc["csev"] = ccc.get("csev",0) + 1
get() operation and supply a
default value if the key does >>> print ccc
{'csev': 2}
not exist to avoid the error
and get our count started.
dict.get(key, defaultvalue)
 What get() effectively does...
• The get() method basically d = dict()
does an implicit if checking x = d.get(“fred”,0)
to see if the key exists in the
dictionary and if the key is
not there - return the
default value d = dict()
if “fred” in d:
• The main purpose of get() is x = d[“fred”]
to save typing this four line else:
pattern over and over x=0
Retrieving lists of Keys and Values
• You can get a list of keys, values or items (both) from a dictionary

>>> jjj = { 'chuck' : 1 , 'fred' : 42, 'jan': 100}

>>> print jjj.keys()
['jan', 'chuck', 'fred']
>>> print jjj.values()
[100, 1, 42]
>>> print jjj.items()
[('jan', 100), ('chuck', 1), ('fred', 42)]
>>>
 Looping Through Dictionaries
• We loop through the >>> jjj = { 'chuck' : 1 , 'fred' : 42, 'jan': 100}
key-value pairs in a >>> for aaa,bbb in jjj.items() :
dictionary using *two* ... print aaa, bbb
iteration variables ...
jan 100
• Each iteration, the frst chuck 1 aaa bbb
variable is the key and fred 42 [jan] 100
the the second variable is >>>
the corresponding value [chuck] 1
[fred] 42
 Dictionary Maximum Loop
$ cat dictmax.py
jjj = { 'chuck' : 1 , 'fred' : 42, 'jan': 100}
print jjj $ python dictmax.py
{'jan': 100, 'chuck': 1, 'fred': 42}
maxcount = None jan 100
for person, count in jjj.items() :
if maxcount == None or count > maxcount :
maxcount = count
maxperson = person None is a special value in Python. It is
like the “absense” of a value. Like
print maxperson, maxcount “nothing” or “empty”.
 Dictionaries are not Ordered

• Dictionaries use a Computer Science technique called “hashing” to

make them very fast and effcient

• However hashing makes it so that dictionaries are not sorted and they
are not sortable

• Lists and sequences maintain their order and a list can be sorted - but
not a dictionary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_function
 Dictionaries are not Ordered
>>> lst = dict()
>>> dict = { "a" : 123, "b" : 400, "c" : 50 } >>> lst.append("one")
>>> print dict >>> lst.append("and")
{'a': 123, 'c': 50, 'b': 400} >>> lst.append("two")
>>> print lst
['one', 'and', 'two']
>>> lst.sort()
Dictionaries have no order and >>> print lst
cannot be sorted. Lists have ['and', 'one', 'two']
order and can be sorted. >>>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_function
 Summary: Two Collections
• List

• A linear collection of values that stay in order

• Dictionary

• A “bag” of values, each with its own label / tag

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 What do we use these for?

• Lists - Like a Spreadsheet - with columns of stuff to be summed,

sorted - Also when pulling strings apart - like string.split()

• Dictionaries - For keeping track of (keyword,value) pairs in memory

with very fast lookup. It is like a small in-memory database. Also used
to communicate with databases and web content.