Enumerate list values into a list of dictionaries - list

Question

I have a list of dictionaries, and I'm trying to assign dictionary key:value pairs based on the values of other other variables in lists. I'd like to assign the "ith" value of each variable list to ith dictionary in block_params_list with the variable name (as a string) as the key. The problem is that while the code appropriately assigns the values (as demonstrated by "pprint(item)"), when the entire enumerate loop is finished, each item in "block_params_list" is equal to the value of the last item.
I'm at a loss to explain this behavior. Can someone help? Thanks!
'''empty list of dictionaries'''
block_params_list = [{}] * 5
'''variable lists to go into the dictionaries'''
ran_iti = [False]*2 + [True]*3
iti_len = [1,2,4,8,16]
trial_cnt = [5,10,15,20,25]
'''the loops'''
param_list= ['iti_len','trial_cnt','ran_iti']#key values, also variable names
for i,item in enumerate(block_params_list):
for param in param_list:
item[param] = eval(param)[i]
pprint(item) #check what each item value is after assignment
pprint(block_params_list) #prints a list of dictionaries that are
#only equal to the very last item assigned

Answer 1

You've hit a common 'gotcha' in Python, on your first line of code:
# Create a list of five empty dictionaries
>>> block_params_list = [{}] * 5
The instruction [{}] * 5 is equivalent to doing this:
>>> d = {}
>>> [d, d, d, d, d]
The list contains five references to the same dictionary. You say "each item in 'block_params_list' is equal to the value of the last item" - that's an illusion, there's effectively only one item in "block_params_list" and you are assigning to it, then looking at it, five times over through five different references to it.
You need to use a loop to create your list, to make sure you create five different dictionaries:
block_params_list = []
for i in range(5):
block_params_list.append({})
or
block_params_list = [{} for i in range(5)]
NB. You can safely do [1] * 5 for a list of numbers, or [True] * 5 for a list of True, or ['A'] * 5 for a list of character 'A'. The distinction is whether you end up changing the list, or whether you change a thing referenced by the list. Top level or second level.
e.g. making a list of numbers, assinging to it does this:
before:
nums = [1] * 3
list_start
entry 0 --> 1
entry 1 --> 1
entry 2 --> 1
list_end
nums[0] = 8
after:
list_start
entry 0 -xx 1
\-> 8
entry 1 --> 1
entry 2 --> 1
list_end
Whereas making a list of dictionaries the way you are doing, and assigning to it, does this:
before:
blocks = [{}] * 3
list_start
entry 0 --> {}
entry 1 --/
entry 2 -/
list_end
first_block = blocks[0]
first_block['test'] = 8
after:
list_start
entry 0 --> {'test':8}
entry 1 --/
entry 2 -/
list_end
In the first example, one of the references in the list has to change. You can't pull a number out of a list and change the number, you can only put a different number in the list.
In the second example, the list itself doesn't change at all, you're assigning to a dictionary referenced by the list. So while it feels like you are updating every element in the list, you really aren't, because the list doesn't "have dictionaries in it", it has references to dictionaries in it.