Skip to Content

Understanding Python List Pop Method

The Python list pop method is a built-in method that removes the item at the given index from the list. It returns the removed item. The index is optional. If the index is not given, then the last element is popped out and removed.If the index passed to the method is not in range, it throws IndexError: pop index out of range exception.

In other words, it takes one argument (the index of the item you want to remove) and then returns the its value.In this blog post, we will discuss the basics of the Python List pop method, as well as some of its more advanced features.

We’ll also provide some examples so that you can see how it works in practice. So, let’s get started!

  • What is the Python List pop Method?
  •  How to Use Python List pop Method
  • Advanced Usage of Python List pop Method

 

syntax for List pop method

The basic syntax for the pop method is as follows: list_name.pop(index) . Here, list_name is the name of the list you want to use, and index is the index of the item you want to remove.

Index is optional.If the index is not given, then the last element is popped out and removed. It returns the removed item.Remember that the index starts at 0, so the first item in the list is at index 0, the second item is at index 1, and so on.

For example, let’s say you have a list of numbers called my_list and you want to remove the number at index position three.  In this case, the index would be three, so you would use my_list.pop(3) to remove the number at position three.

remove an item from list using Python list pop Method

Now that we’ve covered the basics of the Python pop method, let’s take a look at some examples so you can see how it works in practice.First, let’s create a list of numbers and then use the Python pop method to remove the number at index position three:

my_list = [-15, 0, 67,45]
print(my_list) # [-15, 0, 67,45]
my_list.pop(3) # 45
print(my_list) # [-15, 0, 67]

remove multiple items from list using list pop method

For example, suppose you have a list of numbers and you want to remove the first and last elements from the list. You can do this with the following code:

numbers = [‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’, ‘4’, ‘5’]
numbers.pop(0)
numbers.pop(-1)
print(numbers)

This code will remove the first and last elements from the list, leaving only the middle element.

delete an item using negative index from list with list pop Method

The pop method can also be used in more advanced ways in Python. For example, you can use it to delete an item by passing in a negative index. In other words, list_name.pop(-index) will delete the item at position -index from the list.

A negative index is an index that is numbered from the back of a list, instead of from the front.For example, the index -1 refers to the last item in a list, while the index -2 refers to the second-last item in a list.The pop() method can be used to delete an item in a list using a negative index.

let’s delete an item by passing in a negative index:

my_list = [0,-15,-45,-67]
print(my_list) # [0, -15, -45, -67]
my_list.pop(-4) # 0
print(my_list) # [-15,-45,-67]

IndexError Exception in Python list pop method

The pop() method can only delete elements that are actually in the list. When you try to pop an element from a list using an index that is out of range, you will get an error message saying “pop index out of range”.

my_list = [0,-15,-45,-67]
print(my_list) # [0, -15, -45, -67]
my_list.pop(-8) #

Traceback (most recent call last):
File “<stdin>”, line 1, in <module>
IndexError: pop index out of range

If you try to pop an element from a list using an index that is out of range, you will need to use a try/except block to catch the exception.

Here is an example of how to do this:
list = [‘apple’, ‘banana’]
try:
list.pop(2)
except IndexError:
print(‘pop index out of range’)

This would result in the following output: pop index out of range

difference between Python list .remove() and Python list pop method

Python list remove method removes an element from a Python list by its value, whereas Python list .pop() removes Python elements from Python lists by index.

Python list .pop() removes Python element at the index and shifts Python elements with lower indices down. Python list remove method can be used to remove Python elements by its value rather than by their position.

Python list .remove(value) will raise ValueError exception if it is not found in a Python list. Python list .pop(index) will raise IndexError exception if Python element is not found at Python index.

Which is the best way to delete element from list in Python?

  • If you want to delete a specific object in the list, use remove method.
  • If you want to delete the object at a specific location (index) in the list, you can either use del or pop.
  • Use the pop, if you want to delete and get the object at the specific location.

 

Tips to use list pop method in Python

  • Make sure you understand how the Python list pop method works.
  • Experiment with the Python list pop method and see what you can come up with.
  • Read the Python documentation and tutorials to learn more
  • Watch the Python video tutorials to get a more in-depth understanding of how the Python list pop method works.

 

Disadvantages of using list pop method in Python

The list pop method is a built-in function in Python that allows you to remove and return the last item in a list. This method is easy to use and can be a quick way to remove an element from a list. However, there are some disadvantages to using the list pop method, such as the fact that it can be difficult to remember the index of the element you want to remove. Overall, the list pop method is a useful tool that can be used in a variety of situations.

Conclusion

we’ve discussed what the Python List pop method is and how you can use it to remove items from a list. First of all, we looked at how you can remove an item from any position in your list using its index number. Then we learned about some more advanced ways to use Python List pop method.

As you can see, the Python List pop method is a very versatile tool that can be used in many different ways. So, next time you need to remove something from a list, don’t forget about the Python List pop method!