Sorting Lists of Integers with Original Indices in Python Made Easy

Learn how to sort lists of strings containing integer ranges in Python while maintaining their original indices with this straightforward guide.
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Sorting Lists of Integers with Original Indices in Python Made Easy

Sorting lists is a common task in programming, especially when the data involved is not in a straightforward format. If you've ever encountered a list of string representations of integer ranges and wanted to sort them while preserving their original indices, you're in the right place. In this guide, we'll explore a simple yet effective solution to achieve this using Python.

The Problem

You have a list of strings formatted like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Your goal is twofold:

Sort these strings by the integer value that appears before the '-' symbol.

Preserve the original index of each string in the sorted result. The output should look something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

The Solution

To achieve this, we can utilize Python's built-in sorted() function along with enumerate(). Let's break down the steps we need to follow:

Step 1: Enumerate the List

First, we will use enumerate() to pair each string with its original index. This allows us to keep track of the original positions as we sort the list.

Step 2: Define the Sorting Key

Next, we need a sorting key that extracts the integer before the '-' symbol. We will define this key using a lambda function.

Step 3: Perform the Sorting

Finally, we will call the sorted() function with our enumerated list and the custom key to get the result we want.

Here's the complete code to perform these steps:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Breakdown of the Code

enumerate(): This function is used to create pairs of indices and values from our list.

sorted(): The function that sorts our list based on the specified criteria.

key=lambda x: int(x[1].split('-')[0]): This lambda function extracts the integer from the string before the '-' and converts it into an integer to ensure numerical sorting.

When you run this code, you will get the following output:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Sorting lists of strings that contain integer ranges while keeping track of their original indices in Python is straightforward with the help of enumerate() and sorted(). By following the steps outlined above, you can effectively sort your data in a way that retains necessary information about their original locations. Happy coding!