Array In Python

In Python, Arrays are sequences that can hold elements of the same data type.

While Python does not have a built-in array data structure like some other programming languages (e.g., C, Java).

We can work with arrays using "lists" or the "array" module.

Lists:

Lists are the most commonly used data structure in Python and can be used to represent arrays.

Lists can hold elements of different data types and can dynamically change in size.

Example:

your_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

array Module:

The array module in Python provides a way to create arrays with elements of a single data type.

Arrays created using the array module are more memory-efficient than lists because they store only the raw array data.

Example: Integer Array using "array" module

import array
your_array = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9])  
# 'i' indicates the data type (integer)

print(your_array) # Output: array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9])
print(type(your_array)) # Output: <class 'array.array'>

Example: String Array using "array" Module

import array
string_array = array.array('str', ["apple", "banana", "orange"])

Creating Array of Objects using Lists:

We can create an "array" of "objects" using a "list", where each element of the list is an "object".

Example:

class Employee:
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age

employee1 = Employee("Alice", 30)
employee2 = Employee("Taylor", 28)

employee_array = [employee1, employee2]

for emp in employee_array:
    print(emp.name); # Output: Alice, Taylor

Accessing Elements from array module:

We can access elements of "arrays" (whether "lists" or "arrays" created with the array module) using "indexing" and "slicing".

Example:

import array
your_array = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]) 
# 'i' indicates the data type (integer)

print(your_array[0])       # Output: 1
print(your_array[0:2])    # Output: array('i', [1, 2])

Common Operations:

Arrays (both lists and arrays created with the array module) support common operations like appending, removing, iterating, and more.

Example:

# Appending elements
your_array.append(10) # Output: array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]) 

# Removing elements
your_array.remove(2) # Output: array('i', [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10])

Choosing Between Lists and array Module:

Use lists when we need a flexible, mutable collection of elements with different data types.

Use the array module when we need a memory-efficient collection of elements with the same data type and don't require dynamic resizing.

Note:

In most cases, lists are the preferred choice for working with arrays in Python due to their flexibility and ease of use.

However, if memory efficiency is a concern and we're working with large datasets of the same data type, the array module may be more suitable.

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