Summary: Variables are passed by object reference in Python. Therefore, mutable objects are passed by reference while immutable objects are passed by value in Python. To pass immutable objects by reference you can return and reassign the value to the variable, or pass it inside a dictionary/list, or create a class and use the self … Read more
Summary: One of the following methods can be used to check if a list is empty :- Boolean operator not Explicit check using len() Simple Work Around With [] Using .size() with NumPy Using Exception Handling with iter() method Problem: Given a list; how to check if it is empty? Example: Consider the given list … Read more
Summary: The slice notation list[::-1] with default start and stop indices and negative step size -1 reverses a given list. Problem: Given a list of elements. How to reverse the order of the elements in the list. Example: Say, you’ve got the following list: Your goal is to reverse the elements to obtain the following … Read more
Are you looking to copy, move, delete, or archive data with your Python programs? If so, you’re in the right place because this article is all about the module that’s been specially designed for the job. It’s called shutil (short for shell utilities) and we’ll be demystifying its key features by way a few simple … Read more
To remove duplicates from a Python list while preserving the order of the elements, use the code list(dict.fromkeys(list)) that goes through two phases: (1) Convert the list to a dict using the dict.fromkeys() function with the list elements as keys and None as dict values. (2) Convert the dictionary back to a list using the … Read more
Can you become a highly successful freelance developer working from the comfort of your home—without having any experience? Most freelance developers don’t have any experience when they get started on freelancing platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr. You can succeed by following the three simple steps: (1) get your first gig, (2) learn what’s needed, … Read more
What is the net worth of a freelance developer? In this article, you’ll learn the expected net worth of a freelance developer as a rough estimate. Definition net worth: Net worth is the value the assets a person or corporation owns, minus the liabilities they owe. It is an important metric to gauge a company’s … Read more
Problem: Given a list. How to access the last element of this list? Example: You have the list [‘Alice’, ‘Bob’, ‘Liz’] and you want to get the last element ‘Liz’. Quick solution: Use negative indexing -1. To access the last element of a Python list, use the indexing notation list[-1] with negative index -1 which … Read more
Problem: If you assign a list object to a new variable using new_list = old_list, any modification to new_list changes old_list. What’s the reason for this and how can you clone or copy the list to prevent this problem? Example: Let’s consider the following example. Appending an element to the new_list also modifies the original … Read more
Problem: How to convert the str representation of a dict into a dict? Example: Let’s create a list of NBA players. You have LeBron on there, Harden, Steph, and all the talented guys. Have it look just like this. It looks like a dictionary, but it is not. It’s a string. How to change it … Read more
Summary: Use one of the following methods to format strings that contain curly braces: Use double curly braces {{}} Use the old string formatting, i.e. the % operator Use the JSON Library Use Template Strings Problem: Given a string literal with curly braces; how to format the string and ensure that the curly braces are … Read more
This article is an excerpt of my detailed tutorial “The Complete Guide to Freelance Developing” on this FINXTER blog. We’ll answer the following question: What skills do you need to succeed as a freelance developer? Teaching many freelancing students, I have come to learn that most don’t believe they have all the skills they need … Read more