How to Use sorted() and .sort() in Python: Summary

Sorting Data With Python Joe Tatusko 01:20

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00:00 All right! Now you should have a pretty good idea of the differences between sorted() and .sort() in Python. Let’s quickly recap on what you learned. First, you used the built-in function sorted() to sort numbers and strings.

00:14 You then learned how to pass in reverse and key arguments to customize the sorting behavior. In here, we talked about lambda functions a little bit, and if you plan on using key arguments, I highly recommend getting comfortable with them.

00:27 After that, we went to the .sort() method and you learned how that is used to sort lists in place, and also some of the differences between how it doesn’t return values in how it outputs data.

00:40 You then worked through a couple of examples to show some common errors and gotchas while sorting, including things like making sure that your elements are comparable and how characters are sorted based on their Unicode values. Lastly, you worked through an example which showed where sorted() would have been better used than .sort(). And with that, you’re all set to go use sorted() and .sort() in your next project.

01:04 By defining your own functions and lambda expressions, you can really customize these for your specific use case. So the next time you feel like you need to define a new sorting algorithm for your project, see if you can use one of these instead. Thanks for watching.

Kevin Freeman on Jan. 3, 2020

Very clear explanations and realistic examples. Thanks Joe!

Sandhya on Jan. 4, 2020

Thank you. Joe.

rallegre on Jan. 6, 2020

Great job Joe! Tutorial’s like this is the reason why subscribed to Real Python

sion on Jan. 6, 2020

Useful stuff. I liked the way you presented it. Thank you Joe.

Billiam on Jan. 7, 2020

Very nicely presented. Easy to understand and follow. Thanks Joe.

RetiringInComo on Jan. 15, 2020

Totally agree, thought it was going to be boring but had several ah - ha moments. Thanks Joe!!

majid021 on Jan. 30, 2020

Thank you for explaining the difference between sort and sorted in detail with good examples. I was using both sort and sorted thinking that they don’t have much difference, but after watching i got really good idea when to use what.

Thanks Joe.

Valeriy Pomulev on July 2, 2020

Thanks a lot, Joe. Great training.

ingdanielguerrero on July 17, 2020

great tutorial, thank you.

davedanger on Oct. 18, 2020

I’m taking an MIT EDX course (6.002.X) but Real Python is my goto for detailed explanation when and where needed. This helped me “sort” out some of the nuances that they glossed over in the lecture material. Thanks! Your tutorial is very well presented, and the key = lambda x:… explanation was what I needed for a current problem set.

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