Zip lists in Python

Question

I am trying to learn how to \"zip\" lists. To this end, I have a program, where at a particular point, I do the following:

x1, x2, x3 = stuff.calculations(wi         


        

Answer 1

In Python 3 zip returns an iterator instead and needs to be passed to a list function to get the zipped tuples:

x = [1, 2, 3]; y = ['a','b','c']
z = zip(x, y)
z = list(z)
print(z)
>>> [(1, 'a'), (2, 'b'), (3, 'c')]

Then to unzip them back just conjugate the zipped iterator:

x_back, y_back = zip(*z)
print(x_back); print(y_back)
>>> (1, 2, 3)
>>> ('a', 'b', 'c')

If the original form of list is needed instead of tuples:

x_back, y_back = zip(*z)
print(list(x_back)); print(list(y_back))
>>> [1,2,3]
>>> ['a','b','c']