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Pandas is a popular Python library used for data manipulation and analysis. One of its key features is the ability to sort columns in a dataframe by their name. This allows for easier organization and analysis of data. To sort columns in a Pandas dataframe, the user can use the “sort_values” function and specify the desired column names. The dataframe will then be rearranged in alphabetical order based on the specified columns. This feature is particularly useful for large datasets with numerous columns, making it easier to locate and analyze specific data. By using this functionality, users can efficiently manage and manipulate their data in a systematic manner.
Pandas: Sort Columns by Name
You can use the following syntax to quickly sort a pandas DataFrame by column names:
df = df[['column1', 'column4', 'column3', 'column2']]
The following examples show how to use this syntax in practice.
Example 1: Sort Pandas DataFrame by Column Names
The following code shows how to sort a pandas DataFrame by column names:
import pandas as pd #create DataFrame df = pd.DataFrame({'points': [25, 12, 15, 14, 19, 23, 25, 29], 'assists': [5, 7, 7, 9, 12, 9, 9, 4], 'rebounds': [11, 8, 10, 6, 6, 5, 9, 12], 'steals': [2, 3, 3, 2, 5, 3, 2, 1]}) #list column names list(df) ['points', 'assists', 'rebounds', 'steals'] #sort columns by names df = df[['steals', 'assists', 'rebounds', 'points']] df steals assists rebounds points 0 2 5 11 25 1 3 7 8 12 2 3 7 10 15 3 2 9 6 14 4 5 12 6 19 5 3 9 5 23 6 2 9 9 25 7 1 4 12 29
Example 2: Sort Pandas DataFrame by List
The following code shows how to sort a pandas DataFrame by a list of names:
import pandas as pd #create DataFrame df = pd.DataFrame({'points': [25, 12, 15, 14, 19, 23, 25, 29], 'assists': [5, 7, 7, 9, 12, 9, 9, 4], 'rebounds': [11, 8, 10, 6, 6, 5, 9, 12], 'steals': [2, 3, 3, 2, 5, 3, 2, 1]}) #define list of column names name_order = ['steals', 'assists', 'rebounds', 'points'] #sort columns by list df = df[name_order] df steals assists rebounds points 0 2 5 11 25 1 3 7 8 12 2 3 7 10 15 3 2 9 6 14 4 5 12 6 19 5 3 9 5 23 6 2 9 9 25 7 1 4 12 29
Example 3: Sort Pandas DataFrame Alphabetically
The following code shows how to sort a pandas DataFrame alphabetically:
import pandas as pd #create DataFrame df = pd.DataFrame({'points': [25, 12, 15, 14, 19, 23, 25, 29], 'assists': [5, 7, 7, 9, 12, 9, 9, 4], 'rebounds': [11, 8, 10, 6, 6, 5, 9, 12], 'steals': [2, 3, 3, 2, 5, 3, 2, 1]}) #sort columns alphabetically df = df[sorted(df.columns)] df assists points rebounds steals 0 5 25 11 2 1 7 12 8 3 2 7 15 10 3 3 9 14 6 2 4 12 19 6 5 5 9 23 5 3 6 9 25 9 2 7 4 29 12 1