Getting Started with Processing.py

Chapter 11. Lists

A list is a group of variables that share a common name. Lists are useful because they make it possible to work with more variables without creating a new name for each one. This makes the code shorter, easier to read, and more convenient to update.

From Variables to Lists

When a program needs to keep track of one or two things, it’s not necessary to use a list. In fact, adding a list might make the program more complicated than necessary. However, when a program has many elements (for example, a field of stars in a space game or multiple data points in a visualization), lists make the code easier to write.

Example 11-1: Many Variables

To see what we mean, refer to Example 8-3. This code works fine if we’re moving around ...