Python shuffle list not working [duplicate]

Question

I am new with python. coming from a C++ background I'm ironically having trouble understanding the simplicity of this language not to mention how IDLE works.

anyhow I need to write a simple function that takes a list and returns a new list with the elements inside it shuffled

this is what I have so far

import random
def shuffle():
    aList = []
    i = 0
    for i in range(0, 5):
        elements = input(": ")
        aList.append(elements)

    shuffleList = random.shuffle(aList)
    return shuffleList


shuffle()

and after I enter the elements(numerical numbers in this case), nothing outputs.. So the shuffleList for some reason is not being shown in there. Any ideas ?

>>> 
: 1
: 2
: 3
: 4
: 5
>>>

Answer 1

random.shuffle shuffles the list in place, and its output is None.

Since you store and return its output in shuffleList = random.shuffle(aList), nothing is printed.

So instead, return the aList back:

import random
def shuffle():
    aList = []
    i = 0
    for i in range(0, 5):
        elements = input(": ")
        aList.append(elements)
    random.shuffle(aList)
    return aList

Answer 2

random.shuffle is an in-place operation, it does not return anything

>>> l
[0, 1, 2, 3, 4]

>>> random.shuffle(l)
>>> l
[0, 3, 1, 4, 2]