Problem
If a value already exists in a list, I want to remove it (which it may not).
a = [1, 2, 3, 4]
b = a.index(6)
del a[b]
print(a)
The following error is shown in the above scenario (when it does not exist):
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "D:\zjm_code\a.py", line 6, in <module>
b = a.index(6)
ValueError: list.index(x): x not in list
So I have to do this:
a = [1, 2, 3, 4]
try:
b = a.index(6)
del a[b]
except:
pass
print(a)
Isn’t there a more straightforward approach?
Asked by zjm1126
Solution #1
Simply use list to eliminate an element’s initial appearance in a list. remove:
>>> a = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd']
>>> a.remove('b')
>>> print(a)
['a', 'c', 'd']
Keep in mind that it does not eliminate all instances of your element. To do so, use a list comprehension exercise.
>>> a = [10, 20, 30, 40, 20, 30, 40, 20, 70, 20]
>>> a = [x for x in a if x != 20]
>>> print(a)
[10, 30, 40, 30, 40, 70]
Answered by Johannes Charra
Solution #2
If you ask Python to do something it can’t, it will usually throw an Exception, therefore you’ll have to perform one of two things:
if c in a:
a.remove(c)
or:
try:
a.remove(c)
except ValueError:
pass
An exception isn’t always a terrible thing, as long as you anticipate it and handle it properly.
Answered by Dave Webb
Solution #3
You can do
a=[1,2,3,4]
if 6 in a:
a.remove(6)
However, because searching 6 items in the list twice is inconvenient, trying unless would be a better option.
try:
a.remove(6)
except:
pass
Answered by YOU
Solution #4
Consider:
a = [1,2,2,3,4,5]
You may use Python’s filter function to remove all occurrences. For instance, consider the following:
a = list(filter(lambda x: x!= 2, a))
As a result, all elements of a!= 2 would be preserved.
To simply remove one of the elements, use
a.remove(2)
Answered by mathwizurd
Solution #5
Here’s how to accomplish it in real time (without using a list):
def remove_all(seq, value):
pos = 0
for item in seq:
if item != value:
seq[pos] = item
pos += 1
del seq[pos:]
Answered by jfs
Post is based on https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2793324/is-there-a-simple-way-to-delete-a-list-element-by-value