def islist(val):
    """
    check if the entry is a list or is a string of list

    Parameters
    ----------
    val
        an entry of any type

    Returns
    -------
    bool
        True if the input is either a list or a string of list, False otherwise

    """
    text = str(val)
    if text[0] == '[' and text[len(text) - 1] == ']':
        return True
    else:
        return False
