A list is a data structure that allows you to store multiple variables in a single variable. The replace() function allows you to replace some characters in the string with another character. If you are getting the AttributeError : ‘list’ object has no attribute ‘replace’ error then this post is for you. Here you will know why the ‘list’ object has no attribute ‘replace’ error comes and how to solve it easily.
What is AttributeError ?
An AttributeError occurs in Python when an object doesn’t possess a particular attribute or method that is being accessed or invoked. For instance, if an attempt is made to invoke a method on an object that doesn’t have that method, an AttributeError will be raised.
Why does the AttributeError : ‘list’ object has no attribute ‘replace’ Error Occurs?
The “list object has no attribute ‘replace'” error occurs when you try to call the replace() method on a Python list object. It is because Lists in Python do not have a replace() method. Therefore you cannot use this method to modify a list.
You will get the attributeerror after you execute the below lines of code.
sample_strings = ['A', 'B', 'c']
sample_strings.replace("c","C")
print(sample_strings)Output
You can also see there is no replace() function for the list object.
print(sample_strings)Output
['__add__', '__class__', '__class_getitem__', '__contains__', '__delattr__', '__delitem__', '__dir__', '__doc__', '__eq__', '__format__', '__ge__', '__getattribute__', '__getitem__', '__getstate__', '__gt__', '__hash__', '__iadd__', '__imul__', '__init__', '__init_subclass__', '__iter__', '__le__', '__len__', '__lt__', '__mul__', '__ne__', '__new__', '__reduce__', '__reduce_ex__', '__repr__', '__reversed__', '__rmul__', '__setattr__', '__setitem__', '__sizeof__', '__str__', '__subclasshook__', 'append', 'clear', 'copy', 'count', 'extend', 'index', 'insert', 'pop', 'remove', 'reverse', 'sort']
Solve ‘list’ object has no AttributeError ‘replace’ Error
You can easily solve this AttributeError. You can either apply string operations to the elements of the list or you could use a different data structure, such as a string or dictionary if it is more appropriate for your purpose.
For example, if you have a list of strings then you can use a for loop to iterate over the elements in the list. In each iteration call the replace method on an item of the list you want to replace.
You will not get the AttributeError when you will run the below lines of code.
sample_strings = ['abc', 'ade', 'afg']
for i in range(len(sample_strings)):
sample_strings[i] = sample_strings[i].replace('a', 'A')
print(sample_strings)
Output
['Abc', 'Ade', 'Afg']
Conclusion
You can easily get the attribute error if you apply the wrong function on the list. To fix the “list object has no attribute ‘replace'” error, one option is to employ string methods on individual elements in the list. Alternatively, a different data structure may be more suitable for the given use case.
