I have read a csv file into a pandas dataframe and want to do some simple manipulations on the dataframe. I can not figure out how to create a new dataframe based on selected columns from my original dataframe. My attempt:
names = ['A','B','C','D']
dataset = pandas.read_csv('file.csv', names=names)
new_dataset = dataset['A','D']
I would like to create a new dataframe with the columns A and D from the original dataframe.
It is called subset - passed list of columns in []:
dataset = pandas.read_csv('file.csv', names=names)
new_dataset = dataset[['A','D']]
what is same as:
new_dataset = dataset.loc[:, ['A','D']]
If need only filtered output add parameter usecols to read_csv:
new_dataset = pandas.read_csv('file.csv', names=names, usecols=['A','D'])
EDIT:
If use only:
new_dataset = dataset[['A','D']]
and use some data manipulation, obviously get:
A value is trying to be set on a copy of a slice from a DataFrame.
Try using .loc[row_indexer,col_indexer] = value instead
If you modify values in new_dataset later you will find that the modifications do not propagate back to the original data (dataset), and that Pandas does warning.
As pointed EdChum add copy for remove warning:
new_dataset = dataset[['A','D']].copy()
You must pass a list of column names to select columns. Otherwise, it will be interpreted as MultiIndex; df['A','D'] would work if df.columns was MultiIndex.
The most obvious way is df.loc[:, ['A', 'B']] but there are other ways (note how all of them take lists):
df1 = df.filter(items=['A', 'D'])
df1 = df.reindex(columns=['A', 'D'])
df1 = df.get(['A', 'D']).copy()
N.B. items is the first positional argument, so df.filter(['A', 'D']) also works.
Note that filter() and reindex() return a copy as well, so you don't need to worry about getting SettingWithCopyWarning later.
new_dataset = dataset[['A','D']]note that if you're intending to operate on a copy then callcopy():new_dataset = dataset[['A','D']].copy()