Append Element to an Empty List In Python

Appending elements to a list is a common operation in Python, and it’s essential to understand how to add elements to an empty list. In this article, we’ll explore different methods to append items to an empty list and discuss their use cases.

Append Element to an Empty List in Python

Below are some examples by which we can append to an empty list in Python:

1. Using the append() method
2. Using the extend() method
3. Using the insert() method
4. Using the ‘+=’ operator

Append to an Empty List Using the append Method

The append() method in Python is a built-in list method. Here, you can add the element to the end of the list. Whenever you add a new element, the length of the list increases by one. In this example, we are going to create an empty list named sample_list and add the data using the append() method.

Python3

# Create an empty list
sample_list = []

# Adding an integer to the list
sample_list.append(1)

# Adding a string to the list
sample_list.append("GeeksForGeeks")

# Adding a float to the list
sample_list.append(4.14)

# Printing the list
print(sample_list)

Output

[1, 'GeeksForGeeks', 4.14]

Append to an Empty List Using extend method

The extend() method in Python is a built-in list method. This method takes multiple elements as input in a single operation. Whenever you add a new element, the length of the list increases accordingly. In this example, we are going to create an empty list and name it sample_list_1, then add the data or values using the extend method.

Python3

# Create an empty list
sample_list_1 = []

# Create another list with the required elements
additional_list = [1, 2, 3, "GeeksForGeeks", 3.14, True]

# Use the extend method to add elements from additional_list to sample_list_1
sample_list_1.extend(additional_list)

# Printing the list
print(sample_list_1)

Output

[1, 2, 3, 'GeeksForGeeks', 3.14, True]

Append to an Empty List Using Insert method

The insert() method in Python is a built-in list method. Here you can add the single element in a specified index in a list. Whenever you add a new element, then the length of the list increases by one. The insert method requires two arguments to be passed. In this example, we are going to create an empty list named sample_list_2 and add the data or values using the insert method.

Python3

# Create an empty list
sample_list_2 = []

# Insert 1 at index 0
sample_list_2.insert(0, 1)

# Insert "GeeksForGeeks" at index 1
sample_list_2.insert(1, "GeeksForGeeks")

# Insert 3.14 at index 2
sample_list_2.insert(2, 3.14)

# Insert False at index 3
sample_list_2.insert(3, False)

# Printing the list
print(sample_list_2)

Output

[1, 'GeeksForGeeks', 3.14, False]

Append to an Empty List Using ‘+=’ operator

The ‘+= ‘ is used for concatenating the list. Here you can add multiple elements at a time. The length of the list grows dynamically. In this example, we are going to create an empty list named sample_list_3 and add the data or values using the ‘ += ‘ operator.

Python3

# Create an empty list
sample_list_3 = []

# Create a new list with the required elements
new_list = [1, "GeeksForGeeks", 3.14, True]

# Concatenate elements to the empty list
sample_list_3 += new_list

# Printing the list
print(sample_list_3)

Output

[1, 'GeeksForGeeks', 3.14, True]