In Python, you can convert between different data structures using built-in functions and methods.
Common Conversions:
- List to Set: Use the
set()
function to convert a list to a set. This eliminates duplicate elements.my_list = [1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4] my_set = set(my_list) print(my_set) # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4}
- Set to List: Use the
list()
function to convert a set to a list.my_set = {1, 2, 3, 4} my_list = list(my_set) print(my_list) # Output: [1, 2, 3, 4]
- List to Tuple: Use the
tuple()
function to convert a list to a tuple.my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4] my_tuple = tuple(my_list) print(my_tuple) # Output: (1, 2, 3, 4)
- Tuple to List: Use the
list()
function to convert a tuple to a list.my_tuple = (1, 2, 3, 4) my_list = list(my_tuple) print(my_list) # Output: [1, 2, 3, 4]
- String to List: Use the
list()
function to convert a string to a list of characters.my_string = "Hello" my_list = list(my_string) print(my_list) # Output: ['H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o']
More Complex Conversions:
- Dictionary to List of Tuples: Iterate through the dictionary and create tuples of key-value pairs, then append them to a list.
my_dict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2, 'c': 3} my_list = [(key, value) for key, value in my_dict.items()] print(my_list) # Output: [('a', 1), ('b', 2), ('c', 3)]
- List of Tuples to Dictionary: Iterate through the list of tuples and create a dictionary with keys and values from the tuples.
my_list = [('a', 1), ('b', 2), ('c', 3)] my_dict = dict(my_list) print(my_dict) # Output: {'a': 1, 'b': 2, 'c': 3}
Practical Insights:
- Choose the most appropriate data structure based on your needs.
- Understand the differences between data structures to select the best one for your task.
- Use built-in functions and methods for efficient conversions.