How do I create a new series in a Pandas DataFrame and populate it with specific values?

Question

I am new to coding in Python and seeking a little guidance using Pandas.

In brief, I would like to create a new series in a Pandas DataFrame and then populate it. I’ve recreated a simple example to illustrate my specific problem.

In my example, I am attempting to use a dictionary of car Makes (Model_Dict), and a function called Make_Calculator, to populate a new series in my DataFrame called “Make”. The function compares the car model type in the DataFrame series “Model” to a dictionary with Car-Model as the key and Car-Make as the values. The function is supposed to create, and then assign, the Car Make to a new series called “Make” in the DataFrame. When I run this, it creates a new series called “Make”, but every row was populated with “unassigned” as opposed to the actual make of the vehicle.

I am very new to Pandas, any assistance would be much appreciated.

Here is my code:

import pandas as pd

car_inventory = {'Model' : ['Versa', 'Focus', 'Outback'],
                 'Color' : ['Red', 'Brown', 'Green']}

car_df = pd.DataFrame(car_inventory)

Model_Dict = {'Versa': 'Nissan', 'Focus' : 'Ford', 'Outback':'Nissan'}

def Make_Calculator():
    for model,make in Model_Dict.items():
        for i in car_df['Model']:
            if i == model:
                car_df['Make'] = make
            else:
                car_df['Make'] = 'unassigned'

Make_Calculator()

   

Answer 1

If you are just looking to get information using a dictionary, I think you can find how to do this here if you are starting with pandas: Pandas Dict to Dataframe