How to return dictionary keys as a list in Python?

This will convert the dict_keys object to a list:

list(newdict.keys())

On the other hand, you should ask yourself whether or not it matters. It is Pythonic to assume duck typing -- if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it is a duck. The dict_keys object can be iterated over just like a list. For instance:

for key in newdict.keys():
    print(key)

Note that dict_keys doesn't support insertion newdict[k] = v, though you may not need it.

list(newdict) works in both Python 2 and Python 3, providing a simple list of the keys in newdict. keys() isn't necessary.

You can also use a list comprehension:

>>> newdict = {1:0, 2:0, 3:0}
>>> [k  for  k in  newdict.keys()]
[1, 2, 3]

Or, shorter,

>>> [k  for  k in  newdict]
[1, 2, 3]

Note: Order is not guaranteed on versions under 3.7 (ordering is still only an implementation detail with CPython 3.6).

A bit off on the "duck typing" definition -- dict.keys() returns an iterable object, not a list-like object. It will work anywhere an iterable will work -- not any place a list will. a list is also an iterable, but an iterable is NOT a list (or sequence...)

In real use-cases, the most common thing to do with the keys in a dict is to iterate through them, so this makes sense. And if you do need them as a list you can call list().

Very similarly for zip() -- in the vast majority of cases, it is iterated through -- why create an entire new list of tuples just to iterate through it and then throw it away again?

This is part of a large trend in python to use more iterators (and generators), rather than copies of lists all over the place.

dict.keys() should work with comprehensions, though -- check carefully for typos or something... it works fine for me:

>>> d = dict(zip(['Sounder V Depth, F', 'Vessel Latitude, Degrees-Minutes'], [None, None]))
>>> [key.split(", ") for key in d.keys()]
[['Sounder V Depth', 'F'], ['Vessel Latitude', 'Degrees-Minutes']]