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6.0 Python: Loop Lists

6.1 Loop Through a List

You can loop through the list items by using a for loop:

6.1.1 Example

Print all items in the list, one by one:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

for x in thislist:
print(x)

6.2 Loop Through the Index Numbers

You can also loop through the list items by referring to their index number.

Use the range() and len() functions to create a suitable iterable.

6.2.1 Example

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

for i in range(len(thislist)):
print(thislist[i])
note

The iterable created in the example above is [0, 1, 2].


6.3 Using a While Loop

You can loop through the list items by using a while loop.

Use the len() function to determine the length of the list, then start at 0 and loop your way through the list items by referring to their indexes.

Remember to increase the index by 1 after each iteration.

6.3.1 Example

Print all items, using a while loop to go through all the index numbers.

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
i = 0

while i < len(thislist):
print(thislist[i])
i = i + 1

6.4 Looping Using List Comprehension

List Comprehension offers the shortest syntax for looping through lists:

6.4.1 Example

A short hand for loop that will print all items in a list:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
[print(x) for x in thislist]