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Python Dictionary Sorting (By Key / By Value)

In Python, dictionaries can be sorted by their keys or values using the sorted() function. This allows you to organize dictionary items efficiently for display or processing.

Sorting by Keys

# Sample dictionary
my_dict = {'apple': 5, 'banana': 2, 'cherry': 7}

# Sort dictionary by keys
sorted_by_keys = dict(sorted(my_dict.items()))
print(sorted_by_keys)
# Output: {'apple': 5, 'banana': 2, 'cherry': 7}
  

Explanation:

• my_dict.items() returns key-value pairs.
• sorted(...) sorts the pairs by key by default.
• Convert back to dict() to get a sorted dictionary.

Sorting by Values

# Sort dictionary by values
sorted_by_values = dict(sorted(my_dict.items(), key=lambda item: item[1]))
print(sorted_by_values)
# Output: {'banana': 2, 'apple': 5, 'cherry': 7}
  

Explanation:

• key=lambda item: item[1] tells sorted() to use dictionary values for sorting.
• Convert the sorted items back to dict() to create a dictionary with sorted values.

Sorting in Descending Order

# Sort by keys descending
sorted_keys_desc = dict(sorted(my_dict.items(), reverse=True))
print(sorted_keys_desc)
# Output: {'cherry': 7, 'banana': 2, 'apple': 5}

# Sort by values descending
sorted_values_desc = dict(sorted(my_dict.items(), key=lambda item: item[1], reverse=True))
print(sorted_values_desc)
# Output: {'cherry': 7, 'apple': 5, 'banana': 2}
  

Key Points

• sorted(): Can sort any iterable including dictionary items.
• Sorting by key: Default behavior of sorted().
• Sorting by value: Use key=lambda item: item[1].
• Descending order: Add reverse=True to sorted().

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These methods allow you to sort Python dictionaries efficiently by keys or values, in ascending or descending order, for better data management and display.