python - most pythonic way to interate a finite but arbitrary number of time through list values -

i trying optimize outcome genetic algorithm-style.

i provide seed value input function, transformations , returns "goodness value". pick best seed values, , repeat process until i've got winner.

the challenge i've run want run finite number of trials each step (say, 100 max) , number of seed values changes run run. using loop through list of seed values won't work me.

here solution came deal list not being infinite iterator:

iterations = 100 rlist = list(d.keys())      lt in (itertools.repeat(rlist)):         d = gatherseedvalues(directory)         seed = random.choice(lt)         goodness = goodnessgracious(seed)         goodnessdict[seed] = goodness         if len(goodnessdict) > iterations:             break 

is there more pythonic way of doing - both in terms of getting around iterator restriction , looping strategy?

also, using len(goodnessdict) methodology appropriate or there more pythonic way break loop?

based on comment:

rlist arbitrarily long - if has length of ten, i'd want iterate through 10x (100 total attempts). if has length of 500, i'd want process first 100 items.

what you're looking itertools.cycle , itertools.islice:

for item in itertools.islice(itertools.cycle(rlist), iterations):     # item rlist 

this iterate iterations times, taking item rlist on each go, starting on @ start if reaches end of list.

here's example range:

for x in itertools.islice(itertools.cycle(range(4)), 10):     print(x) 

this print:

0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 0 1