objict

objict is a Python library that extends the standard dictionary to allow attribute-style access, hierarchical keys, and additional functionalities like JSON/XML serialization, delta comparison, and more. It's inspired by the uberdict library.

Installation

To install objict, use the following pip command:

pip install pyobjict

Features

• Attribute Access: Access dictionary values using dot notation (e.g., d.key).
• Hierarchical Keys: Seamlessly handle nested dictionary structures with keys like a.b.c.
• Serialization: Convert to/from JSON, XML, and ZIP formats.
• File Operations: Read from and write to files conveniently.
• Delta Comparison: Compute differences between two objicts.
• Resilient Missing Keys: Returns None instead of raising an error for missing attributes.
• Type Safety and Conversion: Supports type-safe fetching of values.

Basic Usage

from objict import objict

# Creating an objict
d1 = objict(name="John", age=24)
print(d1.name)  # Output: John
print(d1["age"])  # Output: 24

# Adding new attributes
d1.gender = "male"
print(d1.gender)  # Output: male

# Nested objict
d2 = objict(user=d1)
print(d2.user.name)  # Output: John

Advanced Usage

Hierarchical Keys

d3 = objict()
d3.set("address.street", "123 Elm St")
print(d3.address.street)  # Output: 123 Elm St

Serialization

JSON

json_data = d1.to_json(as_string=True, pretty=True)
print(json_data)

XML

xml_data = d1.to_xml()
print(xml_data)

ZIP Compression

zip_data = d1.to_zip(as_string=True)

File Operations

d1.save("data.json")
d3 = objict.from_file("data.json")
print(d3)  # Reconstructed objict from file

Delta Comparison

d4 = objict(name="John", age=25)
changes = d1.changes(d4)
print(changes)  # Output: {'age': 25}

Type Safety and Conversion

dob = d1.get_typed("dob", typed=datetime.datetime)

Handling Missing Keys and Defaults

print(d1.unknown_key)  # Output: None

d1.setdefault("country", "USA")
print(d1.country)  # Output: USA

Utility Methods

• to_json(): Convert objict to JSON.
• to_xml(): Convert objict to XML.
• to_zip(): Compress objict.
• from_json(json_string): Create objict from JSON.
• from_file(path): Load objict from a file.
• copy(shallow=True): Create a copy of the objict.
• extend(*args, **kwargs): Merge another dictionary into this objict.

Conclusion

objict is a versatile tool for developers who want more flexible dictionary operations in Python. Whether you're dealing with nested data, performing file I/O, or converting data formats, objict simplifies these tasks with a clean and Pythonic interface.