Python Forum - Creating 2D array without Numpy

I want to create a 2D array and assign one particular element.
The second way below works.
But the first way doesn't.
I am curious to know why the first way does not work.
Is there any way to create a zero 2D array without numpy and without loop?

The first way is:

n=10
Grid=[[0]*n]*n 
Grid[1][1]=1

Quote:[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]

The second way is:

n=10
Grid = [0] * n
for i in range(n):
    Grid[i] = [0] * n
Grid[1][1]=1

Quote:[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
[0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]

The first way doesn't work because [[0] * n] creates a mutable list of zeros once. Then when the second *n copies the list, it copies references to first list, not the list itself. So you have a list of references, not a list of lists.

The second way a new [0] * n is created each time through the loop. That way there is no copying being done, so you end up with an actual list of lists. I often do the second way with a list comprehension:

[[0] * n for row in n]

(Jan-27-2017, 09:43 AM)ichabod801 Wrote: [ -> ]The first way doesn't work because [[0] * n] creates a mutable list of zeros once. Then when the second *n copies the list, it copies references to first list, not the list itself. So you have a list of references, not a list of lists. The second way a new [0] * n is created each time through the loop. That way there is no copying being done, so you end up with an actual list of lists. I often do the second way with a list comprehension:
 [[0] * n for row in n] 

So there is no way to do this by one line code unless to use numpy?

L

(Jan-27-2017, 05:29 PM)landlord1984 Wrote: [ -> ]So there is no way to do this by one line code unless to use numpy?

The list comprehension I showed you does it in one line of code.