Creating a new column based on multiple columns

Question

I'm trying to create a new column based on other columns existing in my df .
My new column, col , should be 1 if there is at least one 1 in columns A ~ E.
If all values in columns A ~ E is 0 , then value of col should be 0 .
I've attached image for a better understanding.

What is the most efficient way to do this with python, not using loop ? Thanks.

enter image description here

Answer 1

If need test all columns use DataFrame.max or DataFrame.any with cast to integers for True/False to 1/0 mapping:

df['col'] = df.max(axis=1)
df['col'] = df.any(axis=1).astype(int)

Or if need test columns between A:E add DataFrame.loc :

df['col'] = df.loc[:, 'A':'E'].max(axis=1)
df['col'] = df.loc[:, 'A':'E'].any(axis=1).astype(int)

If need specify columns by list use subset:

cols = ['A','B','C','D','E']
df['col'] = df[cols].max(axis=1)
df['col'] = df[cols].any(axis=1).astype(int)