Using namedtuples field names for column indices in a list of lists

[Deborah Swanson]

Erik wrote, on January 09, 2017 8:06 PM
> 
> On 10/01/17 03:02, Deborah Swanson wrote:
> > Erik wrote, on January 09, 2017 5:47 PM
> >> IIRC, you create it using a list comprehension which creates the 
> >> records. A list comprehension always creates a list.
> >
> > Well no. The list is created with:
> >
> > records.extend(Record._make(row) for row in rows)
> 
> No, the list is _extended_ by that code. The list is _created_ with a 
> line that will say something like "records = []" or "records 
> = list()" 
> (or "records = <expression that yields a list>").

The list was created with this code:

    infile = open("E:\\Coding projects\\Pycharm\\Moving\\Moving 2017
in.csv")
    rows = csv.reader(infile)
    fieldnames = next(rows)
    Record = namedtuple("Record", fieldnames)
    records = [Record._make(fieldnames)]
    records.extend(Record._make(row) for row in rows)

I just pulled out the .extend statement to show you because that's what
looks like a list comprehension, but turns out not to be one.  We still
get a list though, on that we agree.  ;)
 
> It's nice to see you agree that it's a list though. Oh, hold on ... ;)
> 
> > I'm not exactly
> > sure if this statement is a list comprehension.
> 
> No, it's not. I was remembering an old message where someone 
> suggested 
> using the _make() method and that was expressed as a list 
> comprehension.
> 
> What you have there is a call to list.extend() passing a _generator_ 
> comprehension as its only parameter (which in this case you 
> can consider 
> to be equivalent to a list comprehension as all of the data are 
> generated greedily). You see that I said "list.extend()". 
> That's because 
> 'records' is a list.
> 
> >>>> type(records)
> > <class 'list'>
> 
> Yes, it's an instance of the list class. A list object. A list.
> 
>  >>> type(list())
> <class 'list'>
>  >>> type([])
> <class 'list'>
>  >>> class foo: pass
> ...
>  >>> type(foo())
> <class '__main__.foo'>
>  >>>
> 
> ... type() will tell you what class your object is an instance of. 
> "<class 'list'>" tells you that your object is a list.
> 
> > And it behaves like a list sometimes, but many times
> > not.
> 
> I think that's impossible. I'm 100% sure it's a list. Please give an 
> example of when 'records' does not behave like a list.

I gave an example in one of my last two replies to other people. The
thing is that it's a list, but it's not a list of lists. It's a list of
namedtuples, and the non-listlike behaviors appear when I'm directly
working with the namedtuples.

> > The only thing I don't think you have 100% correct is your assertion

> > that records is a list.
> 
> It's a list.

I agree, now. 
 
> > But that's just a quibble. The important thing in this context is
that 
> > both .sort() and sorted() treat it like a list and DTRT.
> 
> That's because it's a list :)
> 
> E.

It is!  A list of namedtuples that is, not a list of lists. sorted() and
.sort work because they only interact with the outer data structure,
which is a list.