How to Convert a List to Binary in Python

Working with lists is a standard operation in Python programming. But holding data in binary format (0’s and 1’s) has the advantage of saving space and processing operations faster. This tutorial will guide you on how to convert a standard Python list into binary format.

Step 1: Install the Required Libraries

Python uses libraries such as NumPy and Bitarray to perform certain operations, including converting lists to binary. To install these libraries, use the pip install command.

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pip install numpy
pip install bitarray

Step 2: Import the Required Libraries

After installation, you will need to import the libraries into your Python script.

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import numpy as np
from bitarray import bitarray

Step 3: Define the List

We will now define the list which we want to convert to binary format.

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list_items = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Step 4: Convert the List to Binary

To convert the list to binary format, we use the numpy library to call the array function on our list and then convert that into a binary array using the bitarray function.

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binary_output = bitarray()

Step 5: Print the Binary List

The final step is to print our binary array.

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binary_output = bitarray()  # Create an empty bitarray
 
for item in list_items:
    binary_rep = np.binary_repr(item, width=8)
    binary_output.extend(bitarray(binary_rep))

Full Code

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import numpy as np
from bitarray import bitarray
 
list_items = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
 
binary_output = bitarray()
for item in list_items:
    binary_rep = np.binary_repr(item, width=8)
    binary_output.extend(bitarray(binary_rep))
 
print(binary_output)

Output

bitarray('0000001100000010000000110000010000000101')

Conclusion

In Python, converting a list to binary is a straightforward process thanks to powerful libraries like Numpy and Bitarray.

This conversion can be useful in a variety of situations, including data compression and certain machine-learning algorithms, that require data in binary format.