---
title: "Subscripted expressions"
url: "https://docs.yugabyte.com/stable/api/ycql/expr_subscript/"
---

# Subscripted expressions

Use subscripted expressions to access elements in a multi-element value, such as a map collection by using the [] operator.

Use subscripted expressions to access elements in a multi-element value, such as a map collection by using operator `[]`. Subscripted column expressions can be used when writing the same way as a [column expression](/stable/api/ycql/expr_simple/#column-expression "column expression"). For example, if `ids` refers to a column of type `LIST`, `ids[7]` refers to the third element of the list `ids`, which can be set in an [UPDATE](/stable/api/ycql/dml_update/ "UPDATE") statement.

- Subscripted expression can only be applied to columns of type `LIST`, `MAP`, or user-defined data types.
- Subscripting a `LIST` value with a non-positive index will yield NULL.
- Subscripting a `MAP` value with a non-existing key will yield NULL. Otherwise, it returns the element value that is associated with the given key.
- Apache Cassandra does not allow subscripted expression in the select list of the SELECT statement.

## Examples

```sql
ycqlsh:yugaspace> CREATE TABLE t(id INT PRIMARY KEY,yugamap MAP<TEXT, TEXT>);
```

```sql
ycqlsh:yugaspace> UPDATE yugatab SET map_value['key_value'] = 'yuga_string' WHERE id = 7;
```

## See also

- [All Expressions](/stable/api/ycql/#expressions "All Expressions")