pydictobject 1.5

pydictobject - a dictionary that is accessible like an object

dictobject

There are a number of excellent packages that extend the python dictionary to all object-like access (e.g. dict.key).

This aims to add some additional features to those projects by creating a python dictionary that is accessible (like an object) through attributes and allows default value and warnings

pydictobject adds to the python dict by:

• Allowing access through the dict.key notation
• Setting new items with dict.key = value notation
• Allowing a default value to be set, which is returned if the key is not in the dictionary
• Optionally warning if the key is not found and default value is being returned
• Recursively changing any nested dicts to DictObjects and back again

Additionally, deepcopy has been implemented to create new copies of any nested DictObjects.

Installation

pip install pydictobject

Import

from pydictobject import DictObject

Initialise

dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2})

Parameters:

• input_dict(dict): Optional. If not set, an empty dictionary is initialised.
• default_to: Optional. If set, this is the value that is returned if a key is not in the dictionary.
• warn_key_not_found (bool): Optional prints a warning if a key is not found and default_to is returned. Defaults to False.

Example usage

dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2})

>>> dob.foo
1
>>> dob['bar']
2

>>> dob.baz = 3 # Set new value with dot notation
>>> dob.baz
3

Return default value if key not found

>>> dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2}, default_to='Key Not Set')
>>> dob.baz
'Key Not Set'

>>> dob.baz = 3
>>> dob.baz
3

# set default_to after instantiation
>>> dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2})
>>> dob.bootle
# Raises KeyError

>>> dob.set_default_to['Key not set']
>>> dob.bootle
'Key not set'

Nesting

(See later for converting nested dictionaries)

dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2})
dob.baz = DictObject({'a': 3, 'b': 4})
dob
# Note: Display indenting added for clarity
DictObject({
    'foo': 1,
    'bar': 2,
    'baz': DictObject({
        'a': 3,
        'b': 4
        })
    })

>>> dob.baz.a
3

# Set new value within nested tree
>>> dob.baz.c = 5
>>> dob
DictObject({
    'foo': 1,
    'bar': 2,
    'baz': DictObject({
        'a': 3,
        'b': 4,
        'c': 5
        })
    })

Optional: warn if key not found but do not stop flow

Warn if a key is not found and default_to is being returned. Particularly useful if default_to is set to None

>>> dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2}, default_to=None, warn_key_not_found=True)
>>> dob.not_a_key
UserWarning: Key not_a_key not found in DictTuple. Returning None
# Returns None

# Set turn warnings on or off after instantiation
>>> dob.warn_key_not_found() # turns warnings on
>>> dob.warn_key_not_found(False) # turns warnings off

Converting to / from a dict

Convert any nested dictionaries to DictObject

>>> dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2, 'baz': {'c': 3, 'd': 4}, convert_nested=True)
>>> dob
DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2, 'baz': DictObject{'c': 3, 'd': 4}})

# Convert nested objects after initialisation
>>> dob = DictObject({{'foo': 1, 'bar': 2, 'zonk': {'a': 'zonk', 'b': 'zonky' 'c': {'d': 3, 'e': 4}}})
dob
DictObject({
  'foo': 1,
  'bar': 2,
  'zonk': {
      'a': 'zonk',
      'b': 'zonky' 'c': {
          'd': 3,
          'e': 4
            }
      }
  })
>>> dob.convert_dicts(recursive=True)
>>> dob
DictObject({
  'foo': 1,
  'bar': 2,
  'zonk': DictObject{
      'a': 'zonk',
      'b': 'zonky',
      'c': DictObject{
          'd': 3,
          'e': 4}
      }
  })

# Access nested members
>>> dob.zonk.c.d
3

# Convert back to a dict, including any nested objects
>>> dob.todict() # Defaults to recursive
{'foo': 1, 'bar': 2, 'zonk': {'a': 'zonk', 'b': 'zonky' 'c': {'d': 3, 'e': 4}}}

>>> dob.todict(False) # Nested DictObjects not converted to dict
{
  'foo': 1,
  'bar': 2,
  'zonk': DictObject{
      'a': 'zonk',
      'b': 'zonky',
      'c': DictObject{
          'd': 3,
          'e': 4}
      }
  }

All standard python dict functions work

>>> dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2}, default_to='Not Set')
>>> dob.update({'bar': 'Two', 'baz': 3})
>>> dob
DictObject{'foo': 1, 'bar': 'Two', 'baz': 3}
>>> dob['bar'] = 'II'
>>> dob
DictObject{'foo': 1, 'bar': 'II', 'baz': 3}

>>> dob.keys()
dict_keys(['foo', 'bar', 'baz'])

>>> for key in dob:
        print(f'{key} = {dob[key]}')
foo = 1
bar = II
baz = 3

>>> 'bazz' in dob
False

>>> dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2}) # default_to is not set
>>> dob.baz
# Raises KeyError

>>> dob['baz']
# Raises KeyError

>>> dob.get('baz', 3)
3

Copying

Deepcopy

Deep copies create new copies of any nested objects.

>>> from copy import deepcopy
>>> dob = DictObject({'foo': 1, 'bar': 2}, warn_key_not_found=True, default_to=None)
>>> dob.baz = {'a': 1, 'b': {'c': 3, 'd': 4}}
>>> dob.convert_dicts()
>>> dob
 DictObject{'foo': 1, 'bar': 2, 'baz': DictObject{'a': 1, 'b': {'c': 3, 'd': 4}}}
>>> dob2 = deepcopy(dob)
>>> dob.baz.a = 3
>>> dob
DictObject{'foo': 1, 'bar': 2, 'baz': DictObject{'a': 3, 'b': {'c': 3, 'd': 4}}}
dob2
DictObject{'foo': 1, 'bar': 2, 'baz': DictObject{'a': 1, 'b': {'c': 3, 'd': 4}}}

Shallow copy

In the example above, if dob2 is created with using

>>> dob2 = dob.copy()

setting dob.baz.a = 3 would also change dob2.baz.a to 3