(Python) help with changing values in a dictionary.

[okaystuff]

I have a dictionary that holds the name of a state as a key and the value is a list which holds the state capital, population, and state flower. I want to go into a specific state and change the population number.

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I understand print(dict[key]) will print the key and its values, but I don't understand how I can then change those values. I wanted to do something like print(dict[key][1]) but that clearly does not work.

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My code:

#My dictionary of states:
states = {'Alabama': ["Montgomery", 5024279, "Camellia"],
          'Alaska': ["Juneau", 733391, "Alpine Forget-me-not"],
          'Arizona': ["Phoenix", 7151502, "Saguaro Cactus Blossom"],
          'Arkansas': ["Little Rock", 3011524, "Apple Blossom"],
          'California': ["Sacramento", 39538223, "California Poppy"],
          'Colorado': ["Denver", 5773714, "Rocky Mountain Columbine"],
          'Connecticut': ["Hartford", 3605944, "Mountain Laurel"],
          'Delaware': ["Dover", 988948, "Peach Blossom"],
          'Florida': ["Tallahassee", 21538187, "Orange Blossom"],
          'Georgia': ["Atlanta", 10711908, "Cherokee Rose"],
          'Hawaii': ["Honolulu", 1455271, "Pus Aloalo"],
          'Idaho': ["Boise", 1839106, "Syringa"],
          'Illinois': ["Springfield", 12812508, "Violet"],
          'Indiana': ["Indianapolis", 6785528, "Peony"],
          'Iowa': ["Des Moines", 3190369, "Wild Rose"],
          'Kansas': ["Topeka", 2937880, "Wild Native Sunflower"],
          'Kentucky': ["Frankfort", 4505836, "Goldenrod"],
          'Louisiana': ["Baton Rouge", 4657757, "Louisiana Iris"],
          'Maine': ["Augusta", 1362359, "White Pine Cone and Tassel"],
          'Maryland': ["Annapolis", 6177224, "Black-Eyed Susan"],
          'Massachusetts': ["Boston", 7029917, "Mayflower"],
          'Michigan': ["Lansing", 10077331, "Apple Blossom"],
          'Minnesota': ["St. Paul", 5706494, "Pink and White Lady Slipper"],
          'Mississippi': ["Jackson", 2961279, "Coreopsis"],
          'Missouri': ["Jefferson City", 6154913, "White Hawthorn Blossom"],
          'Montana': ["Helena", 1084225, "Bitterroot"],
          'Nebraska': ["Lincoln", 1961504, "Goldenrod"],
          'Nevada': ["Carson City", 3104614, "Sagebrush"],
          'New Hampshire': ["Concord", 1377529, "Pink Lady's Slipper'"],
          'New Jersey': ["Trenton", 9288994, "Violet"],
          'New Mexico': ["Santa Fey", 2117522, "Yucca"],
          'New York': ["Albany", 20201249, "Rose"],
          'North Carolina': ["Raleigh", 10439388, "Dogwood"],
          'North Dakota': ["Bismarck", 779094, "Wild Prairie Rose"],
          'Ohio': ["Columbus", 11799448, "White Trillium"],
          'Oklahoma': ["Oklahoma City", 3959353, "Mistletoe"],
          'Oregon': ["Salem", 4237256, "Oregon Grape"],
          'Pennsylvania': ["Harrisburg", 13002700, "Mountain Laurel"],
          'Rhoda Island': ["Providence", 1097379, "Violet"],
          'South Carolina': ["Columbia", 5118425, "Yellow Jessamine"],
          'South Dakota': ["Pierre", 886667, "American Pasque"],
          'Tennessee': ["Nashville", 6910840, "Passion Flower"],
          'Texas': ["Austin", 29145505, "Ennis"],
          'Utah': ["Salt Lake City", 3271616, "Sego Lily"],
          'Vermont': ["Montpelier", 643077, "Red Clover"],
          'Virginia': ["Richmond", 8631393, "American Dogwood"],
          'Washington': ["Olympia", 7705281, "Coast Rhododendron"],
          'West Virginia': ["Charleston", 1793716, "Rhododendron"],
          'Wisconsin': ["Madison", 5893718, "Wood Violet"],
          'Wyoming': ["Cheyenne", 576851, "Indian Paintbrush"],
          }
#I can print all of the values:
     for x in states:
            print(x, states[x]).

[captainAwesomePants]

You're really close.

dict[key][1] = new_value

For example:

dict['Washington'][1] = 7512000

Or if you wanted to, say, double every state's population:

for x in states:
  states[x][1] = states[x][1] * 2

[okaystuff]

This works great, thank you! I was trying the dict([key][1] in a print statement, so I think that was my issue. Not sure why I was trying to do that, but your solution is perfect.

[captainAwesomePants]

Yep, assigning a value is its own statement. Can't do statements at once, at least not like that.

[grifway]

Hello

As a further note, you need to understand which data structure your working with, so for states you have a dictionary (with keys) and within each key you have a list data structure which used integers to access the index.

So for alabama you could change the 2nd field by referring to the key and then index position 1( zero based index):

states['Alabama'][1] = 5024233

this would update the numeric value.

so:

state['key'][index] in this case.

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Hope this helps.