PathDict

Extended dict with the capability of accessing and manipulating nested itens using a path notation.

Installation

pip install pathdict

Examples

You can change your chained multiple access operator with a dotted path notation:

from pathdict import PathDict


path_dict = PathDict({
    'dogs': {
        'male': 'Xablau',
        'female': 'Xena'
    },
    'enterprises': ['B2W', 'Sieve'],
    'author': '@diogommartins'
})

# Same as path_dict['dogs']['female']
print(path_dict['dogs.female'])
>>> 'Xena'

Lists are also accessible by the path notation:

from pathdict import PathDict


path_dict = PathDict({
    'mammalia': {
        'ferae': {
            'carnivora': [
                'carnidae',
                'felidae',
                'mustelidae',
                'ursidae',
                'viverridae'
            ]       
        },
        'something': {
            'wiki': 'pedia'
        }
    }
})

# Same as path_dict['mammalia']['ferae']['carnivora'][3]
print(path_dict['mammalia.ferae.carnivora.3'])
>>> 'ursidae'

Everything you do with a normal python dict will work.

Customization

The default separator is . but you can change it using the separator kwarg.

from pathdict import PathDict


path_dict = PathDict({
    'mammalia': {
        'ferae': {
            'carnivora': [
                'carnidae',
                'felidae',
                'mustelidae',
                'ursidae',
                'viverridae'
            ]
        },
        'something': {
            'wiki': 'pedia'
        }
    }
}, separator='/')


print(path_dict['mammalia/ferae/carnivora/3'])
>>> 'ursidae'

It is possible to let PathDict generate the steps to a given path:

from pathdict import PathDict


path_dict = PathDict(create_if_not_exists=True)
path_dict['the.answer.to.all.problems'] = 42

print(path_dict)
>>> {'the': {'answer': {'to': {'all': {'problems': 42}}}}}

Which also works for nested list fields:

from pathdict import PathDict


path_dict = PathDict(create_if_not_exists=True)
path_dict['some.letters'] = ['a', 'b']

path_dict['some.letters.2'] = 'c'

print(path_dict)
>>> {'some': {'letters': ['a', 'b', 'c']}}

By default, list values inside a PathDict are type casted to a pathdict.collection.StringIndexableList. You can change that behavior with the list_class keyword argument. Beware that if the list_class class doesn't implement the StringIndexableList Protocol, pathdict's lists path will fail.

from pathdict import PathDict


path_dict = PathDict()

path_dict["list"] = [1, 2, 3]
type(path_dict["list"])
>>> pathdict.collection.StringIndexableList

path_dict["list.1"]
>>> 2

custom_path_dict = PathDict(list_class=list)
type(custom_path_dict["list"])
>>> list

custom_path_dict["list.1"]
>>> TypeError: list indices must be integers or slices, not str