How to add multiple columns to pandas dataframe in one assignment?

Question

I would have expected your syntax to work too. The problem arises because when you create new columns with the column-list syntax (df[[new1, new2]] = ...), pandas requires that the right hand side be a DataFrame (note that it doesn't actually matter if the columns of the DataFrame have the same names as the columns you are creating).

Your syntax works fine for assigning scalar values to existing columns, and pandas is also happy to assign scalar values to a new column using the single-column syntax (df[new1] = ...). So the solution is either to convert this into several single-column assignments, or create a suitable DataFrame for the right-hand side.

Here are several approaches that will work:

import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

df = pd.DataFrame({
    'col_1': [0, 1, 2, 3],
    'col_2': [4, 5, 6, 7]
})

Then one of the following:

1) Three assignments in one, using list unpacking:

df['column_new_1'], df['column_new_2'], df['column_new_3'] = [np.nan, 'dogs', 3]

2) DataFrame conveniently expands a single row to match the index, so you can do this:

df[['column_new_1', 'column_new_2', 'column_new_3']] = pd.DataFrame([[np.nan, 'dogs', 3]], index=df.index)

3) Make a temporary data frame with new columns, then combine with the original data frame later:

df = pd.concat(
    [
        df,
        pd.DataFrame(
            [[np.nan, 'dogs', 3]], 
            index=df.index, 
            columns=['column_new_1', 'column_new_2', 'column_new_3']
        )
    ], axis=1
)

4) Similar to the previous, but using join instead of concat (may be less efficient):

df = df.join(pd.DataFrame(
    [[np.nan, 'dogs', 3]], 
    index=df.index, 
    columns=['column_new_1', 'column_new_2', 'column_new_3']
))

5) Using a dict is a more "natural" way to create the new data frame than the previous two, but the new columns will be sorted alphabetically (at least before Python 3.6 or 3.7):

df = df.join(pd.DataFrame(
    {
        'column_new_1': np.nan,
        'column_new_2': 'dogs',
        'column_new_3': 3
    }, index=df.index
))

6) Use .assign() with multiple column arguments.

I like this variant on @zero's answer a lot, but like the previous one, the new columns will always be sorted alphabetically, at least with early versions of Python:

df = df.assign(column_new_1=np.nan, column_new_2='dogs', column_new_3=3)

7) This is interesting (based on https://stackoverflow.com/a/44951376/3830997), but I don't know when it would be worth the trouble:

new_cols = ['column_new_1', 'column_new_2', 'column_new_3']
new_vals = [np.nan, 'dogs', 3]
df = df.reindex(columns=df.columns.tolist() + new_cols)   # add empty cols
df[new_cols] = new_vals  # multi-column assignment works for existing cols

8) In the end it's hard to beat three separate assignments:

df['column_new_1'] = np.nan
df['column_new_2'] = 'dogs'
df['column_new_3'] = 3

Note: many of these options have already been covered in other answers: Add multiple columns to DataFrame and set them equal to an existing column, Is it possible to add several columns at once to a pandas DataFrame?, Add multiple empty columns to pandas DataFrame

You could use assign with a dict of column names and values.

In [1069]: df.assign(**{'col_new_1': np.nan, 'col2_new_2': 'dogs', 'col3_new_3': 3})
Out[1069]:
   col_1  col_2 col2_new_2  col3_new_3  col_new_1
0      0      4       dogs           3        NaN
1      1      5       dogs           3        NaN
2      2      6       dogs           3        NaN
3      3      7       dogs           3        NaN

With the use of concat:

In [128]: df
Out[128]: 
   col_1  col_2
0      0      4
1      1      5
2      2      6
3      3      7

In [129]: pd.concat([df, pd.DataFrame(columns = [ 'column_new_1', 'column_new_2','column_new_3'])])
Out[129]: 
   col_1  col_2 column_new_1 column_new_2 column_new_3
0    0.0    4.0          NaN          NaN          NaN
1    1.0    5.0          NaN          NaN          NaN
2    2.0    6.0          NaN          NaN          NaN
3    3.0    7.0          NaN          NaN          NaN

Not very sure of what you wanted to do with [np.nan, 'dogs',3]. Maybe now set them as default values?

In [142]: df1 = pd.concat([df, pd.DataFrame(columns = [ 'column_new_1', 'column_new_2','column_new_3'])])
In [143]: df1[[ 'column_new_1', 'column_new_2','column_new_3']] = [np.nan, 'dogs', 3]

In [144]: df1
Out[144]: 
   col_1  col_2  column_new_1 column_new_2  column_new_3
0    0.0    4.0           NaN         dogs             3
1    1.0    5.0           NaN         dogs             3
2    2.0    6.0           NaN         dogs             3
3    3.0    7.0           NaN         dogs             3

use of list comprehension, pd.DataFrame and pd.concat

pd.concat(
    [
        df,
        pd.DataFrame(
            [[np.nan, 'dogs', 3] for _ in range(df.shape[0])],
            df.index, ['column_new_1', 'column_new_2','column_new_3']
        )
    ], axis=1)

if adding a lot of missing columns (a, b, c ,....) with the same value, here 0, i did this:

    new_cols = ["a", "b", "c" ] 
    df[new_cols] = pd.DataFrame([[0] * len(new_cols)], index=df.index)

It's based on the second variant of the accepted answer.