Python sorted()

The Python sorted() function is a built-in function that returns a new sorted list from the items of any iterable. It accepts three parameters: iterable (the sequence to sort), an optional key function that extracts a comparison key from each element, and an optional reverse boolean that sorts in descending order when set to True. The function always returns a new list, leaving the original iterable unchanged, which makes it safe to use without worrying about mutating your source data. Unlike the list.sort() method, sorted() works on any iterable including tuples, sets, dictionaries, and generators. This makes it invaluable for tasks like ranking search results, ordering database records by a specific field, or alphabetizing user input. The key parameter is particularly powerful, allowing you to sort complex objects by any attribute or computed value. It works well with min() and max() for finding extreme values in collections.

What does sorted() return?

The sorted() function always returns a new list containing all items from the input iterable arranged in ascending order by default, or descending order if reverse=True.

When should you use sorted()?

Use sorted() when you need a sorted copy of any iterable without modifying the original, or when sorting non-list iterables like tuples, sets, or dictionary keys.

The syntax of sorted() is:

sorted(iterable, key, reverse)

sorted() Parameters

The sorted() function takes three parameters as argument:

• iterable - an iterable object like string, list,set, etc.
• key (Optional) - A Function to execute to decide the order. Default is None.
• reverse (Optional) -

Let see an example of the sorted() function.

Example 1: How to use sorted() function in python?

a = (2, 5, 3)
x = sorted(a)
print(x)

Output:

[2, 3, 5]

Example 2: sorted() function with python string.

a = ("h", "b", "a", "c", "f", "d", "e", "g")
x = sorted(a)
print(x)

Output:

['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g', 'h']

Common Use Cases

A common use case for sorted() is sorting a list of dictionaries by a specific key, such as ordering a list of products by price using sorted(products, key=lambda x: x['price']). Another practical scenario is sorting user-generated content alphabetically for display, such as sorting names in a contact list or tags on a blog. It is also frequently used to sort the results of filter() or map() operations in data processing pipelines where the output needs to be presented in a deterministic order.