How Do You Troubleshoot a List in Python That Gets Out of Order?

Problem scenario
You are coding in Python. For some reason your list is getting out of order. It sometimes works. But sometimes the last item is going to the first item. What is wrong?

Possible Solution #1
Re-examine your logic. Break things up into smaller lists and fewer variables for the sake of testing.

Possible Solution #2
Look at the different input files if there are any.

Are you using input from a file? Can you check every item of your list to see if there is a hidden new line character in it?

This could help you find it:

for item in your_list:
    if "\n" in item:
        print(item)

If you use "".join(your_list) (to convert a list to a string), a hidden "\n" in a string in the list can create problems when you write to a new file. Processing text with varying input can create problems like this. You may have to eliminate the "\n" instances using Python.