Question
How can I check if an object belongs to a list of a specified class in Python?
# Example of checking if an object is an instance of a specific class
if isinstance(obj, YourClass):
print("obj is an instance of YourClass")
Answer
In Python, you can determine whether an object is an instance of a list containing items of a particular class by utilizing the built-in `isinstance()` function in combination with the `all()` function. This approach allows you to iterate through the list and check the type of each element against the specific class you are interested in.
# Function to check if an object is a list of a given class
from typing import List, Type
def is_instance_of_list(obj: List, cls: Type) -> bool:
return isinstance(obj, list) and all(isinstance(item, cls) for item in obj)
# Example usage
class MyClass:
pass
my_list = [MyClass(), MyClass()] # List of MyClass instances
other_list = [MyClass(), 'NotAClassInstance'] # Mixed types
print(is_instance_of_list(my_list, MyClass)) # Output: True
print(is_instance_of_list(other_list, MyClass)) # Output: False
Causes
- The object is not a list.
- The list contains elements that are not of the specified class.】【[
Solutions
- Use the built-in isinstance() function to confirm the object is a list.
- Utilize a list comprehension or the all() function to ensure all items in the list are instances of the specified class.
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Assuming all lists are of the correct object type without checking.
Solution: Always verify the type of each item in the list using isinstance().
Mistake: Not handling mixed-type lists.
Solution: Use the all() function to validate all elements in a list.
Helpers
- Python check if object is a list
- isinstance in Python
- check object type Python
- list of specific class Python