The actual reason why you can't do either of the following,
l = [].append(2)
l = [2,3,4].append(1)
is because .append() always returns None as a function return value. .append() is meant to be done in place.
See here for docs on data structures. As a summary, if you want to initialise a value in a list do:
l = [2]
If you want to initialise an empty list to use within a function / operation do something like below:
l = []
for x in range(10):
value = a_function_or_operation()
l.append(value)
Finally, if you really want to do an evaluation like l = [2,3,4].append(), use the + operator like:
l1 = []+[2]
l2 = [2,3,4] + [2]
print l1, l2
>>> [2] [2, 3, 4, 2]
This is generally how you initialise lists.
Answer from Alexander McFarlane on Stack OverflowGeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › append-element-to-an-empty-list-in-python
Append Elements to Empty List in Python - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - In Python, lists are used to store multiple items in one variable. If we have an empty list and we want to add elements to it, we can do that in a few simple ways. The simplest way to add an item in empty list is by using the append() method.
Append to empty list in python - Stack Overflow
I'm pretty new to Python and have a task where I am supposed to iterate through a sorted list to find the place where to insert an element into the list at the right place. So far I have managed to... More on stackoverflow.com
Append to an empty list using a single line for-loop python - Stack Overflow
I am trying to append numbers from a generator to an empty list using a single line for loop but it returns None. I understand it can be done using a for loop with 2 lines but I was wondering what ... More on stackoverflow.com
Can I create an empty list, and at the same time append something to it?
Convert your some calculations to a function involving the key and the value And then use list comprehension my_list = [ key for key , value in my_dict.items() if func(key, value)] More on reddit.com
8
1
September 24, 2022Adding items to an empty list
my_list = []
my_list.append("dog")
my_list.append("cat")
# And so forthYou can add those to your list as your program runs instead of just printing them out.
More on reddit.com 8
5
May 24, 2018How to add Elements to List in Python
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Python 3.7: Append() List Method In Python
DataCamp
datacamp.com › home › tutorials › python › a comprehensive guide to python empty lists
A Comprehensive Guide to Python Empty Lists | DataCamp
February 2, 2024 - A drawback of .append() is that it only adds elements at the end of a list — this means that we have no control over where exactly to insert a new element when using .append(). The .insert() method, on the other hand, allows us to do exactly that. Here we pick up the example from the previous section and insert ’Truly’ between ’Python’ and ’Rocks!’. Note that Python uses zero-based indexing, which means that the index of the first element of the list is 0. Check out the example for more details: # Initialize an empty list my_list = [] # Append elements my_list.append('Python') my_list.append('Rocks!') my_list.append('It’s easy to learn!') # `my_list` is now ['Python', 'Rocks!', 'It’s easy to learn!'] # Showcase zero-based indexing in Python my_list[0] # Returns 'Python' my_list[1] # Returns 'Rocks' my_list[2] # Returns 'It's easy to learn!'
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › add-values-into-an-empty-list-from-python-for-loop
Add Values into Empty List Using For Loop - Python - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - # Create an empty list a = [] # Initialize the counter i = 0 # Use a while loop to add values while i < 5: a.append(i) i += 1 # Print the list print(a)
Statistics Globe
statisticsglobe.com › home › python programming language for statistics & data science › append to empty list in python (3 examples)
How to Append Elements to Empty List in Python (3 Examples)
June 19, 2023 - my_list = my_list + [1, 2, 3] # append 1, 2 and 3 print(my_list) # print my_list # [1, 2, 3] Now, our list is updated by the given values. You can also prefer to save the result under a new object name and keep my_list empty. Do you need further information on the topics of this article? Then I recommend watching the following video on my YouTube channel. In the video, I demonstrate the Python programming codes of this post in Python.
Python Guides
pythonguides.com › add-elements-to-an-empty-list-in-python
How to Add Elements to an Empty List in Python?
March 19, 2025 - Check out How to Select Items from a List in Python? If you have another list and want to add all its elements to the empty list, you can use the extend() method. You can append to a list that is empty using the extend() method in Python.
freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › python-empty-list-tutorial-how-to-create-an-empty-list-in-python
Python Empty List Tutorial – How to Create an Empty List in Python
June 18, 2020 - You can create an empty list using an empty pair of square brackets [] or the type constructor list(), a built-in function that creates an empty list when no arguments are passed.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › append-element-to-an-empty-list-in-python
Append Elements to Empty List in Python - GeeksforGeeks
December 10, 2024 - In Python, lists are used to store multiple items in one variable. If we have an empty list and we want to add elements to it, we can do that in a few simple ways. The simplest way to add an item in empty list is by using the append() method.
thisPointer
thispointer.com › home › list › python: how to create an empty list and append items to it?
Python: How to create an empty list and append items to it? - thisPointer
April 30, 2023 - We will use the range() function like the previous example to generate an iterable sequence of numbers from 0 to 9. But instead of calling append() function, we will use List comprehension to iterate over the sequence and add each number at ...
Top answer 1 of 2
4
your look will only iterate if there are items in the list, so just take the first if outside the loop to check if the list is empty or not
# Task 1a
# Create a function that places an element x in a sorted list
def insert_in_sorted(x, sorted_list):
if not sorted_list:
sorted_list.append(x)
return sorted_list
for i in range(len(sorted_list)):
if x > max(sorted_list) or not sorted_list:
sorted_list.append(x)
return sorted_list
elif sorted_list[i] > x:
sorted_list.insert(i, x)
return sorted_list
elif sorted_list[i - 1] and sorted_list[i + 1] == x:
sorted_list.insert(i, x)
return sorted_list
print(insert_in_sorted(2, []))
print(insert_in_sorted(5, [0, 1, 3, 4]))
print(insert_in_sorted(2, [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]))
print(insert_in_sorted(2, [2, 2]))
OUTPUT
[2]
[0, 1, 3, 4, 5]
[0, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4]
[2, 2, 2]
2 of 2
-1
it seems you are doing left insert
import bisect
def insert_in_sorted (x, sorted_list):
bisect.insort_left(sorted_list,x)
return sorted_list
print(insert_in_sorted(2,[]))
print(insert_in_sorted(5,[0,1,3,4]))
print(insert_in_sorted(2,[0,1,2,3,4]))
print(insert_in_sorted(2,[2,2]))
[2]
[0, 1, 3, 4, 5]
[0, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4]
[2, 2, 2]
Altcademy
altcademy.com › blog › how-to-create-an-empty-list-in-python
How to create an empty list in Python - Altcademy.com
June 13, 2023 - The append() method is used to add an element to the end of a list. This is the most straightforward way to add elements to a list, especially if you want to maintain the order ...
Python Help
pythonhelp.org › python-lists › how-to-add-to-an-empty-list-in-python
How to add elements to an empty list in Python
October 12, 2023 - Creating an Empty List We can create an empty list in python using square brackets [] like so: ... Adding Elements to a List To add elements to a list, you use append method or extend method or the plus (+) operator for lists of single items.
Hyperskill
hyperskill.org › university › python › append-method-in-python
Python list.append() — How to Add Items to a List (Examples)
August 10, 2026 - This code generates numbers 1, 2, and 3 and appends them to my_list. To add elements dynamically, initialize an empty list and use the append method to add elements as needed:
Real Python
realpython.com › python-append
Python's .append(): Add Items to Your Lists in Place – Real Python
March 18, 2026 - One common use case of .append() is to completely populate an empty list using a for loop. Inside the loop, you can manipulate the data and use .append() to add successive results to the list.
MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › programming › how to append a list in python
How to Append a List in Python
February 4, 2021 - You can use Python's append list method to create an entirely new set of data and then drop it in an empty list.
Top answer 1 of 4
19
Write a proper comprehension, without append.
>>> [i for i in range(10)]
[0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
>>> list(i for i in range(10))
[0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
2 of 4
1
Adding Explanation as to what happens, Append doesn't return anything,
y = []
x = [y.append(i) for i in range(10)]
print(x)
print(y)
produces
[None, None, None, None, None, None, None, None, None, None]
[0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
[Program finished]
iO Flood
ioflood.com › blog › python-empty-list-guide-to-using-empty-lists-in-python
Python Empty List | Guide to Using Empty Lists in Python
June 27, 2024 - Once you’ve created an empty list, you can add items to it. Python offers several methods to accomplish this, such as .append(), .insert(), and .extend().
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › add-values-into-an-empty-list-from-python-for-loop
Add Values into Empty List Using For Loop - Python - GeeksforGeeks
December 6, 2024 - Lists are versatile data structures that allow you to store and manipulate collections of items. The simplest way to add values to an empty list is by using append() method.
DaniWeb
daniweb.com › programming › software-development › threads › 231501 › help-with-adding-to-an-empty-list
python - Help with adding to an empty list | DaniWeb
October 20, 2009 - def to_binary(n): if n == 0: return '0' bits = [] while n: bits.append('1' if (n & 1) else '0') n >>= 1 return ''.join(reversed(bits)) Then read input and print: print to_binary(int(raw_input('Enter a decimal integer: '))). Key fixes versus your attempt: use % 2 or n & 1 for the remainder, update n each step (n //= 2 or n >>= 1), and avoid mixing up variable names (mynum vs mylist). If you just need a string, Python provides bin(n) and format(n, 'b') (bin, format spec).
Pierian Training
pieriantraining.com › home › how to create an empty list in python
How to Create and Use an Empty List in Python
April 27, 2023 - Another way to create an empty ... empty list object. ... Like before, you can also add items to this new empty list with .append()....