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Python Introducing Lists Meet Lists Deletion

pop and del

so, after watching the video and reading some of the FAQs, if i understand correctly... both pop() and del will remove a label/reference to a list object in memory, and if the list object is not assigned a new label (either before or after the old label is removed), the object will eventually be garbage collected in both cases?

and that pop() is more suited for reassigning list objects new labels (since we can remove and reassign list object labels in 1 line of code) while del is better suited for removing object labels for subsequent garbage collection (since you'd otherwise need 2 lines of code to reassign the list object a new label before removing the old label with the del keyword)?

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,236 Points

Another difference is that del can remove more than a single item — it can also remove a slice, the entire list contents, or the list itself.

For more details, see the Python documentation on the del statement.

good to know, thanks Steven