Arrays

Arrays

Python has no built-in array type with the C meaning. The closest everyday tool is the list, which acts like a flexible array.

cars = ["Ford", "Volvo", "BMW"]
print(cars)

Lists are the go-to

For normal Python programs, use lists. They do everything an array does plus more.

Access by index

print(cars[0])  # Ford

Change a value

cars[0] = "Toyota"
print(cars)  # ['Toyota', 'Volvo', 'BMW']

Length

print(len(cars))  # 3

Loop through

for x in cars:
    print(x)

Add an item

cars.append("Honda")

Remove an item

cars.pop(1)

Or remove by value:

cars.remove("Volvo")

The real "array" module

If you truly need a C-style typed array, Python has an array module:

import array as arr
nums = arr.array("d", [1.1, 2.2, 3.3])

It stores numbers compactly, but for daily work lists win.

TL;DR

• Use lists as Python's arrays.
• Index, change, loop, append, and pop work naturally.
• The array module exists for compact typed data.
• Most of the time, a list is all you need.