>> I have a sorted list for example [1,2,3,4,5] and I would like to change
>> it in a random way
>> e.g [2,5,3,1,4] or [3,4,1,5,2] or in any other way except being
>> ordered.
>> What is the best/easiest
>> way how to do it?
>
> use random.shuffel:
>
>>>> import random
>>>> x = [1,2,3,4,5]
>>>> random.shuffle(x)
>>>> x
> [1, 4, 2, 3, 5]
Just a caveat from past experience...while the OP was talking
about lists, for future reference random.shuffle() chokes on
strings (and possibly tuples). It requires the ability to edit
the target/parameter in place...a functionality that strings
don't provide.
Thus, for a "word jumble" program I was playing with, you can't
just do
word = 'hello'
random.shuffle(word)
but rather you have to list'ify the word, shuffle it, then pack
it back together:
word = 'hello'
a = list(word)
random.shuffle(a)
word = ''.join(a)
I remember seeing discussion on the list at one point of a
MutableString class, which might be successfully passed to
random.shuffle() without hiccuping.
-tkc
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