Change Index of Element in List in Python (Example)

In this tutorial, you will learn how to change the index of an element in a list using Python.

We will go through the process step by step, with detailed explanations of the programming code and its output.

Table of contents:

Let’s dive right into it.

Understanding Lists & Indices

A list in Python is a mutable, ordered collection of elements.

Each element in a list has a unique index, which starts from 0 for the first element and increases by 1 for each subsequent element.

To change the index of an element in a list, we need to move the element from its current position to the desired position.

Example: Using List Methods

The simplest way to change the index of an element in a list is to use the insert() and pop() list methods.

The insert() method is used to insert an element at a specific index, while the pop() method removes and returns the element at a given index.

Step 1: Define the List and Indices

First, let’s define a list and the indices of the element we want to move and its new position:

my_list = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'orange', 'grape']
current_index = 1
new_index = 3

In this example, we have a list called my_list containing five elements. We would like to move the element at index 1 (‘banana’) to index 3.

Step 2: Move the Element

Next, we will use the pop() method to remove the element at the current index, and the insert() method to insert it at the new index:

element = my_list.pop(current_index)
my_list.insert(new_index, element)

After executing this code, the element at index 1 (‘banana’) is removed and inserted at index 3. The final list looks like this:

['apple', 'cherry', 'orange', 'banana', 'grape']

Conclusion & Further Resources

In this tutorial, we explored how to change the index of an element in a list using Python. Our method involved using the insert() and pop() list methods.

In case you are keen to learn more about the manipulation of lists in Python, you may have a look at our related tutorials below:

• Access List Index in for Loop in Python
• Access Index of List in Python
• Access List Element by Index Position in Python