watchdict 0.1.1

A dictionary class with change detection and state persistence

WatchDict

WatchDict is a Python class that extends the standard dictionary to track changes and save/load its state to/from a JSON file. It supports lists and sets as values, with notifications on modifications. The class also integrates logging with configurable log levels and allows custom JSON indentation for readability.

Features

• Change Detection: Automatically detects changes in lists and sets, and logs modifications.

• State Persistence: Saves the current state to a JSON file and loads it on startup.

• Logging: Configurable logging with different log levels and customizable JSON indentation.

• Customizable File Handling: Specify the JSON file name and indentation level.

Installation

You don’t need to install WatchDict separately if you have the source code. Simply include the WatchDict class in your project or copy the code into your script.

Usage

1. Create an Instance of WatchDict:

   from watchdict import WatchDict
   
   
   
   # Create an instance with a specific file name, log level, and JSON indentation
   
   watch_dict = WatchDict(filename="my_state.json", log_level=logging.DEBUG, indent=2)
   

2. Working with Lists and Sets:

   # Working with lists
   
   watch_dict['test_list'] = []
   
   watch_dict['test_list'].append(1)
   
   
   
   # Working with sets
   
   watch_dict['test_set'] = set()
   
   watch_dict['test_set'].add(42)
   
   watch_dict['test_set'].remove(42)
   

3. Logging:

   • The log_level parameter in the constructor determines the verbosity of logs. Common levels include logging.DEBUG, logging.INFO, logging.WARNING, etc.

   • If the log level is set to logging.NOTSET (0), no logs will be printed.

4. Saving and Loading State:

   • The save_state() method is automatically called after modifications to save the current state.

   • The load_state() method is called when creating an instance to load the saved state from the JSON file.

Parameters

• filename (str): The name of the JSON file for saving and loading the state. Defaults to "watchdict_state.json".

• log_level (int): The logging level. Defaults to logging.INFO. Set to logging.NOTSET to disable logging.

• indent (int): The number of spaces for JSON indentation. Defaults to 4.

Example

Here is a complete example of how to use WatchDict:

import logging

from watchdict import WatchDict



# Create an instance of WatchDict

watch_dict = WatchDict(filename="my_state.json", log_level=logging.DEBUG, indent=2)



# Working with lists

watch_dict['test_list'] = []

watch_dict['test_list'].append(1)



# Working with sets

watch_dict['test_set'] = set()

watch_dict['test_set'].add(42)

watch_dict['test_set'].remove(42)

Dependencies

• Python 3.x

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues or pull requests. Contributions are welcome!

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.