How to convert list of intable strings to int
Question:
In Python, I want to convert a list of strings:
l = ['sam','1','dad','21']
and convert the integers to integer types like this:
t = ['sam',1,'dad',21]
I tried:
t = [map(int, x) for x in l]
but is showing an error.
How could I convert all intable strings in a list to int, leaving other elements as strings?
My list might be multi-dimensional. A method which works for a generic list would be preferable:
l=[['aa','2'],['bb','3']]
Answers:
I would create a generator to do it:
def intify(lst):
for i in lst:
try:
i = int(i)
except ValueError:
pass
yield i
lst = ['sam','1','dad','21']
intified_list = list(intify(lst))
# or if you want to modify an existing list
# lst[:] = intify(lst)
If you want this to work on a list of lists, just:
new_list_of_lists = map(list, map(intify, list_of_lists))
I’d use a custom function:
def try_int(x):
try:
return int(x)
except ValueError:
return x
Example:
>>> [try_int(x) for x in ['sam', '1', 'dad', '21']]
['sam', 1, 'dad', 21]
Edit: If you need to apply the above to a list of lists, why didn’t you converted those strings to int while building the nested list?
Anyway, if you need to, it’s just a matter of choice on how to iterate over such nested list and apply the method above.
One way for doing that, might be:
>>> list_of_lists = [['aa', '2'], ['bb', '3']]
>>> [[try_int(x) for x in lst] for lst in list_of_lists]
[['aa', 2], ['bb', 3]]
You can obviusly reassign that to list_of_lists
:
>>> list_of_lists = [[try_int(x) for x in lst] for lst in list_of_lists]
How about using map and lambda
>>> map(lambda x:int(x) if x.isdigit() else x,['sam','1','dad','21'])
['sam', 1, 'dad', 21]
or with List comprehension
>>> [int(x) if x.isdigit() else x for x in ['sam','1','dad','21']]
['sam', 1, 'dad', 21]
>>>
As mentioned in the comment, as isdigit may not capture negative numbers, here is a refined condition to handle it notable a string is a number if its alphanumeric and not a alphabet 🙂
>>> [int(x) if x.isalnum() and not x.isalpha() else x for x in ['sam','1','dad','21']]
['sam', 1, 'dad', 21]
Use isdigit()
to check each character in the string to see if it is a digit.
Example:
mylist = ['foo', '3', 'bar', '9']
t = [ int(item) if item.isdigit() else item for item in mylist ]
print(t)
For multidimenson lists, use recursive technique may help.
from collections import Iterable
def intify(maybeLst):
try:
return int(maybeLst)
except:
if isinstance(maybeLst, Iterable) and not isinstance(lst, str):
return [intify(i) for i in maybeLst] # here we call intify itself!
else:
return maybeLst
maybeLst = [[['sam', 2],'1'],['dad','21']]
print intify(maybeLst)
- Use a list comprehension to validate the numeracy of each list item.
str.isnumeric
won’t pass a negative sign
- Use
str.lstrip
to remove the -
, check .isnumeric
, and convert to int
if it is.
- Alternatively, use
str.isdigit
in place of .isnumeric
.
Keep all values in the list
l = ['sam', '1', 'dad', '21', '-10']
t = [int(v) if v.lstrip('-').isnumeric() else v for v in l]
print(t)
>>> ['sam', 1, 'dad', 21, -10]
Remove non-numeric values
l = ['sam', '1', 'dad', '21', '-10']
t = [int(v) for v in t if v.lstrip('-').isnumeric()]
print(t)
>>> [1, 21, -10]
Nested list
l = [['aa', '2'], ['bb', '3'], ['sam', '1', 'dad', '21', '-10']]
t = [[int(v) if v.lstrip('-').isnumeric() else v for v in x] for x in l]
print(t)
>>> [['aa', 2], ['bb', 3], ['sam', 1, 'dad', 21, -10]]
In Python, I want to convert a list of strings:
l = ['sam','1','dad','21']
and convert the integers to integer types like this:
t = ['sam',1,'dad',21]
I tried:
t = [map(int, x) for x in l]
but is showing an error.
How could I convert all intable strings in a list to int, leaving other elements as strings?
My list might be multi-dimensional. A method which works for a generic list would be preferable:
l=[['aa','2'],['bb','3']]
I would create a generator to do it:
def intify(lst):
for i in lst:
try:
i = int(i)
except ValueError:
pass
yield i
lst = ['sam','1','dad','21']
intified_list = list(intify(lst))
# or if you want to modify an existing list
# lst[:] = intify(lst)
If you want this to work on a list of lists, just:
new_list_of_lists = map(list, map(intify, list_of_lists))
I’d use a custom function:
def try_int(x):
try:
return int(x)
except ValueError:
return x
Example:
>>> [try_int(x) for x in ['sam', '1', 'dad', '21']]
['sam', 1, 'dad', 21]
Edit: If you need to apply the above to a list of lists, why didn’t you converted those strings to int while building the nested list?
Anyway, if you need to, it’s just a matter of choice on how to iterate over such nested list and apply the method above.
One way for doing that, might be:
>>> list_of_lists = [['aa', '2'], ['bb', '3']]
>>> [[try_int(x) for x in lst] for lst in list_of_lists]
[['aa', 2], ['bb', 3]]
You can obviusly reassign that to list_of_lists
:
>>> list_of_lists = [[try_int(x) for x in lst] for lst in list_of_lists]
How about using map and lambda
>>> map(lambda x:int(x) if x.isdigit() else x,['sam','1','dad','21'])
['sam', 1, 'dad', 21]
or with List comprehension
>>> [int(x) if x.isdigit() else x for x in ['sam','1','dad','21']]
['sam', 1, 'dad', 21]
>>>
As mentioned in the comment, as isdigit may not capture negative numbers, here is a refined condition to handle it notable a string is a number if its alphanumeric and not a alphabet 🙂
>>> [int(x) if x.isalnum() and not x.isalpha() else x for x in ['sam','1','dad','21']]
['sam', 1, 'dad', 21]
Use isdigit()
to check each character in the string to see if it is a digit.
Example:
mylist = ['foo', '3', 'bar', '9']
t = [ int(item) if item.isdigit() else item for item in mylist ]
print(t)
For multidimenson lists, use recursive technique may help.
from collections import Iterable
def intify(maybeLst):
try:
return int(maybeLst)
except:
if isinstance(maybeLst, Iterable) and not isinstance(lst, str):
return [intify(i) for i in maybeLst] # here we call intify itself!
else:
return maybeLst
maybeLst = [[['sam', 2],'1'],['dad','21']]
print intify(maybeLst)
- Use a list comprehension to validate the numeracy of each list item.
str.isnumeric
won’t pass a negative sign- Use
str.lstrip
to remove the-
, check.isnumeric
, and convert toint
if it is. - Alternatively, use
str.isdigit
in place of.isnumeric
.
- Use
Keep all values in the list
l = ['sam', '1', 'dad', '21', '-10']
t = [int(v) if v.lstrip('-').isnumeric() else v for v in l]
print(t)
>>> ['sam', 1, 'dad', 21, -10]
Remove non-numeric values
l = ['sam', '1', 'dad', '21', '-10']
t = [int(v) for v in t if v.lstrip('-').isnumeric()]
print(t)
>>> [1, 21, -10]
Nested list
l = [['aa', '2'], ['bb', '3'], ['sam', '1', 'dad', '21', '-10']]
t = [[int(v) if v.lstrip('-').isnumeric() else v for v in x] for x in l]
print(t)
>>> [['aa', 2], ['bb', 3], ['sam', 1, 'dad', 21, -10]]