# Python >= 2.6 (defaultdict) && < 2.7 (Counter, OrderedDict) from collections import defaultdict def count_unsorted_list_items(items): """ :param items: iterable of hashable items to count :type items: iterable :returns: dict of counts like Py2.7 Counter :rtype: dict """ counts = defaultdict(int) for item in items: counts[item] += 1 return dict(counts) # Python >= 2.2 (generators) def count_sorted_list_items(items): """ :param items: sorted iterable of items to count :type items: sorted iterable :returns: generator of (item,count) tuples :rtype: generator """ if not items: return elif len(items) == 1: yield (items[0], 1) return prev_item = items[0] count = 1 for item in items[1:]: if prev_item == item: count += 1 else: yield (prev_item, count) count = 1 prev_item = item yield (item, count) return import unittest class TestListCounters(unittest.TestCase): def test_count_unsorted_list_items(self): D = ( ([], []), ([2], [(2,1)]), ([2,2], [(2,2)]), ([2,2,2,2,3,3,5,5], [(2,4), (3,2), (5,2)]), ) for inp, exp_outp in D: counts = count_unsorted_list_items(inp) print inp, exp_outp, counts self.assertEqual(counts, dict( exp_outp )) inp, exp_outp = UNSORTED_WIN = ([2,2,4,2], [(2,3), (4,1)]) self.assertEqual(dict( exp_outp ), count_unsorted_list_items(inp) ) def test_count_sorted_list_items(self): D = ( ([], []), ([2], [(2,1)]), ([2,2], [(2,2)]), ([2,2,2,2,3,3,5,5], [(2,4), (3,2), (5,2)]), ) for inp, exp_outp in D: counts = list( count_sorted_list_items(inp) ) print inp, exp_outp, counts self.assertEqual(counts, exp_outp) inp, exp_outp = UNSORTED_FAIL = ([2,2,4,2], [(2,3), (4,1)]) self.assertEqual(exp_outp, list( count_sorted_list_items(inp) )) # ... [(2,2), (4,1), (2,1)] 

# Python >= 2.6 (defaultdict) && < 2.7 (Counter, OrderedDict) from collections import defaultdict def count_unsorted_list_items(items): """ :param items: iterable of hashable items to count :type items: iterable :returns: dict of counts like Py2.7 Counter :rtype: dict """ counts = defaultdict(int) for item in items: counts[item] += 1 return dict(counts) # Python >= 2.2 (generators) def count_sorted_list_items(items): """ :param items: sorted iterable of items to count :type items: sorted iterable :returns: generator of (item, count) tuples :rtype: generator """ if not items: return elif len(items) == 1: yield (items[0], 1) return prev_item = items[0] count = 1 for item in items[1:]: if prev_item == item: count += 1 else: yield (prev_item, count) count = 1 prev_item = item yield (item, count) return import unittest class TestListCounters(unittest.TestCase): def test_count_unsorted_list_items(self): D = ( ([], []), ([2], [(2,1)]), ([2,2], [(2,2)]), ([2,2,2,2,3,3,5,5], [(2,4), (3,2), (5,2)]), ) for inp, exp_outp in D: counts = count_unsorted_list_items(inp) print inp, exp_outp, counts self.assertEqual(counts, dict( exp_outp )) inp, exp_outp = UNSORTED_WIN = ([2,2,4,2], [(2,3), (4,1)]) self.assertEqual(dict( exp_outp ), count_unsorted_list_items(inp) ) def test_count_sorted_list_items(self): D = ( ([], []), ([2], [(2,1)]), ([2,2], [(2,2)]), ([2,2,2,2,3,3,5,5], [(2,4), (3,2), (5,2)]), ) for inp, exp_outp in D: counts = list( count_sorted_list_items(inp) ) print inp, exp_outp, counts self.assertEqual(counts, exp_outp) inp, exp_outp = UNSORTED_FAIL = ([2,2,4,2], [(2,3), (4,1)]) self.assertEqual(exp_outp, list( count_sorted_list_items(inp) )) # ... [(2,2), (4,1), (2,1)]