Appending items to a list of lists in python [duplicate]

Answer 1

Python lists are mutable objects and here:

plot_data = [[]] * len(positions) 

you are repeating the same list len(positions) times.

>>> plot_data = [[]] * 3
>>> plot_data
[[], [], []]
>>> plot_data[0].append(1)
>>> plot_data
[[1], [1], [1]]
>>> 

Each list in your list is a reference to the same object. You modify one, you see the modification in all of them.

If you want different lists, you can do this way:

plot_data = [[] for _ in positions]

for example:

>>> pd = [[] for _ in range(3)]
>>> pd
[[], [], []]
>>> pd[0].append(1)
>>> pd
[[1], [], []]

Answer 2

import csv
cols = [' V1', ' I1'] # define your columns here, check the spaces!
data = [[] for col in cols] # this creates a list of **different** lists, not a list of pointers to the same list like you did in [[]]*len(positions) 
with open('data.csv', 'r') as f:
    for rec in csv.DictReader(f):
        for l, col in zip(data, cols):
            l.append(float(rec[col]))
print data

# [[3.0, 3.0], [0.01, 0.01]]