Python - Printing list vertically

When working with lists in Python sometimes it's necessary to print the elements vertically. This can be useful when we want to display each item on a new line or present data in a structured format. In this article, we will explore various methods to print a list vertically starting with the simplest and most efficient one.

Using a Loop

The most simple way to print the elements of a list vertically is by using a for loop. This method iterates over each item and prints it on a new line. The for loop iterates through each item in the list and prints it on a new line.

Example:

a = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

# Loop to print each element in the list
for item in a:
    print(item)

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5

Let's see some more methods to print list vertically in Python

Using join() with a newline character

join() method is another efficient way to print a list vertically. By joining the list items into a single string with a newline character (\n) we can print all elements at once making it more compact.

a = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

# Use join to print list elements vertically
print("\n".join(map(str, a)))

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5

Explanation:

• The join() method combines the list elements into one string with each item separated by a newline.
• This approach prints the entire list at once making it more compact.
• The map(str, a) is used to convert each element to a string ensuring that non-string items can be handled.

Using List Comprehension

We can also use list comprehension along with the join() method to print the list vertically. The list comprehension is used to iterate over the list and convert each element to a string.

a = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

# Using list comprehension with join to print elements vertically
print("\n".join([str(x) for x in a]))

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Using * Operator in Print Function

* operator can be used to unpack the list and print each element on a new line by passing the sep='\n' argument in the print() function.

Example:

a = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

# Print elements vertically using * operator
print(*a, sep='\n')

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5

Explanation:

• The * operator unpacks the list so that each element is passed as a separate argument to the print() function.
• The sep='\n' argument tells the print() function to separate each argument with a newline.