Python for loop with if/else and append function

Question

On the basis of list as below, I have to create a DataFrame with \"state\" and \"region\" columns:

Original data:

 Alabama[edit]
 Auburn (Auburn Universi         


        

Answer 1

Shortest version I could think of:

import pandas as pd

lst = list()

with open('university_towns.txt', 'r', newline='\n') as infile:
    for line in infile.readlines():
        if '[edit]' in line:
            state = line.split('[')[0]
        else:
            lst.append([state, line.split(' ')[0]])

df = pd.DataFrame(lst, columns=['State', 'RegionName'])
print(df)

Produces on my machine (Python 3.6):

      State    RegionName
0   Alabama        Auburn
1   Alabama      Florence
2   Alabama  Jacksonville
3   Alabama    Livingston
4   Alabama    Montevallo
5   Alabama          Troy
6   Alabama    Tuscaloosa
7   Alabama      Tuskegee
8    Alaska     Fairbanks
9   Arizona     Flagstaff
10  Arizona         Tempe