Python Array Methods
Manisha Kundrapu
Posted on February 16, 2023
In Python, an array is a container that holds a fixed number of items of the same type.
Arrays are useful for working with large amounts of data that need to be accessed quickly.
Python provides a built-in module called "array" for working with arrays.
Here are some commonly used methods for working with arrays in Python:
1. Creating an array:
To create an array in Python, you first need to import the "array" module.
Then, you can create an array using the "array" function and passing it a type code and a sequence of values.
‘b’ – signed char
‘B’ – unsigned char
‘d’ – double
‘f’ – float
‘i’ – signed int
‘I’ – unsigned int
‘h’ – signed short
‘H’ – unsigned short
‘l’ – signed long
‘L’ – unsigned long
Example:
import array
ar = array.array('i', [11,12,13,14])
print(ar)
Output:
array('i', [11,12,13,14])
2. append():
This method adds the specified value to the end of the array.
Syntax : array_name.append(item)
Example:
import array
arr = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3])
arr.append(4)
print(arr)
Output:
array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4])
3. remove():
This method eliminates the first instance of the supplied value from the array.
Syntax : array_name.remove(item)
Example:
import array
arr = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 2])
arr.remove(2)
print(arr)
Output:
array('i', [1, 3, 2])
4. sort():
The array's elements are sorted using this method.
Syntax : array_name.sort()
Example:
import array
arr = array.array('i', [5, 2, 1, 4, 3])
arr.sort()
print(arr)
Output:
array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
5. extend():
This method adds the elements from the specified iterable to the end of the array.
Syntax : extend(iterable)
Example:
import array
arr1 = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3])
arr2 = array.array('i', [4, 5, 6])
arr1.extend(arr2)
print(arr1)
Output:
array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6])
6. insert():
This method inserts the specified value at the specified index.
Syntax : insert(index, value)
Example:
import array
arr = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3])
arr.insert(1, 4)
print(arr)
Output:
array('i', [1, 4, 2, 3])
7. pop():
The element at the supplied index is removed and returned by this method. If no index is specified, it removes and returns the last element.
Syntax : pop(index=-1)
Example:
import array
arr = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3])
removed_element = arr.pop(1)
print(arr)
print(removed_element)
Output:
array('i', [1, 3])
2
8. index():
The index() method returns the index of the first occurrence of a specified element in the array.
Syntax : array.index(element[, start[, end]])
Example:
import array
a = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 2])
print(a.index(2))
Output: 1
9. reverse():
The order of the array's elements is reversed by this method.
Syntax : reverse()
Example:
import array
arr = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3])
arr.reverse()
print(arr)
Output:
array('i', [3, 2, 1])
10. count():
This method returns the number of times the specified value appears in the array.
Syntax : count(value)
Example:
import array
arr = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 2])
count = arr.count(2)
print(count)
Output: 2
11. typecode:
The typecode attribute of an array returns the type code character used to create the array.
Syntax : array.typecode
Example:
import array
a = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4])
print(a.typecode)
Output: "i"
12. itemsize:
The itemsize attribute of an array returns the size of each element in bytes.
Syntax : array.itemsize
Example:
import array
a = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4])
print(a.itemsize)
Output: 4
13. buffer_info():
The buffer_info() method returns a tuple representing the address of the array's buffer and the size of the buffer in bytes.
Syntax : array.buffer_info()
Example:
import array
a = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4])
print(a.buffer_info())
Output: (139953048219200, 16)
14. fromlist():
The fromlist() method appends a list to the end of an array.
Syntax : array.fromlist(list)
Example:
import array
ar = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4])
ar.fromlist([15, 16, 17, 18])
print(ar)
Output:
array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 15, 16, 17, 18])
15. tolist():
The tolist() method returns a list containing all the elements of an array.
Syntax : array.tolist()
Example:
import array
a = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4])
print(a.tolist())
Output:
[1, 2, 3, 4]
16. copy():
A shallow copy of the array is what is returned by the copy() method.
Syntax : array.copy()
Example:
import array
a = array.array('i', [11, 12, 13, 14])
cpy_a = a.copy()
print(cpy_a)
Output:
array('i', [11, 12, 13, 14])
17. clear():
The clear() method removes all the elements from the array.
Syntax : array.clear()
Example:
import array
a = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4])
a.clear()
print(a)
Output:
array('i', [])
Posted on February 16, 2023
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