Print List without Brackets in Python [with Simple Code Examples]

Introduction

Python is a programming language that is simple to use and learn. One of the main features of python is that it has the ability to work with different data types, such as strings, integers, and floating-point numbers. Another important data type in Python is the list.

List is a flexible data type that can hold any combination of data types, such as strings numbers or other lists. Another important feature of list is that it is mutable, which means it can add, remove or modify the elements inside it.

Let’s see one example of list

colours = [ "Red", "Blue", "Black"]
print(colours)

In the above example there is a list named “colours” and it is printed.

Output

['Red', 'Blue', 'Black']

Here you can see python print the list with enclosing square brackets. Even yet, there are situations when we might like to output the list without the enclosing brackets.

Is it possible to print a list without brackets in Python?

Yes it is. There are various ways to accomplish this. Let’s see some examples.

Different ways to Print List without Brackets in Python

Method 1: Using a For Loop to Print List without brackets

Example:

colours = [ "Red", "Blue", "Black", "Yellow"]
for i in range(len(colours)):
    print(colours[i], end=', ')

Output:

Red, Blue, Black, Yellow,

From the example shown, there is a list of colours called “colours” containing four strings: “Red”, “Blue”, “Black”, and “Yellow.

Here we use a for loop to iterate over a range of values from 0 to 3 (the length of the “colours” list). This creates a sequence of indices that we can use to access the elements of the list. The value of the current element of the “colours” list is printed using the print() method inside the for loop.

The current index value (i) is used to access the currently selected element, as in “colours[i]”. It is also specifying the “end” parameter of the print() function as “, “, which means that a comma and a space should be printed after each element instead of the default newline character.

After running the code the result will be a string of the colour names without any brackets, separated by commas and spaces.

Method 2: Implementing the join() method

Example:

colours = [ "Red", "Blue", "Black", "Yellow"]
print(', '.join(colours))

Output:

Red, Blue, Black, Yellow

In this example, The join() method accepts an iterable as a parameter and produces a string that joins the iterable’s elements using the selected separator. Here, the separator is a comma and space, which is specified by passing ‘, ‘ as the argument to join()

The print() function is then used to print the resultant string to the console. Input will result in:

Red, Blue, Black, Yellow

Method 3: Using the unpacking operator *

Example:

colours = [ "Red", "Blue", "Black", "Yellow"]
print(*colours, sep=', ')

Output:

Red, Blue, Black, Yellow

Here, The items are sent to the terminal using the print() function. From the previous example we used the join() function here, instead of that ‘*’ parameter is used before the list variable name to unpack the members of the list and pass them individually as arguments to the print() function.

Additionally, a separator for each element to be printed with can be specified using the sep option.

In order to add a comma and space between each element, the separator ‘, ‘ is used in this instance.

Method 4: The join() and map() functions

Example:

colours = [ "Red", "Blue", "Black", "Yellow"]
print(', '.join(map(str, colours)))

Output:

Red, Blue, Black, Yellow

From the example shown, The str() function is applied to each element of the list using the map() function, turning any non-string components into strings. The join() method is then used to join the string elements of the list together with the specified separator ‘, ‘.

By doing this, the list is represented by a single string that is free of brackets and commas.

Finally, the resulting string is printed using the print() function.

Method 5: The use of list comprehension

Example:

colours = [ "Red", "Blue", "Black", "Yellow"]
print(', '.join((colour) for colour in colours))

Output:

Red, Blue, Black, Yellow

This is an example of using the join() method to concatenate a list of strings into a single string separated by a comma and a space. The generator expression (colour) for colour in colours produces each string in the list.

The string “,” is used to specify the separator to use between each string in the list when the join() method is run on it. It accepts the generator expression, which generates each string separately, as an argument.

The output of this code is a single string that reads “Red, Blue, Black, Yellow,” with each string from the list of colours separated by a comma and a space.

Conclusion

In Python, printing a list without brackets is a common requirement. There are numerous ways to achieve this goal, each with benefits and drawbacks of their own. While some strategies are more successful, others are simpler to read.

Selecting a method that is easy to understand, easy to remember, and successfully completes the work is crucial. The exact needs of the task at hand and the programmer’s preferences ultimately determine the technique to be used. Regardless of the technique employed, the goal should always be to produce code that is understandable, manageable, and readable.