[Fix] Encode nested Dotty object into standard dict (#66)

* Add no_list flag and remove deprecations

* Fix docs

* Add possibility to json dump nested Dotty

* Add to_json()

* Simplify to_dict

* Remove newline at the end

* Remove unit tests for to_json, because it's unreal to test string from dict

dotty_dict/dotty_dict.py

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     from collections import Mapping
 
 from functools import lru_cache
+import json
 
 __author__ = 'Paweł Zadrożny'
 __copyright__ = 'Copyright (c) 2017, Paweł Zadrożny'
@@ -309,7 +310,17 @@ def to_dict(self):
 
         :return dict: Wrapped dictionary
         """
-        return self._data
+        return json.loads(self.to_json())
+
+    def to_json(self):
+        """Return wrapped dictionary as json string.
+
+        This method does not copy wrapped dictionary.
+
+        :return str: Wrapped dictionary as json string
+        """
+        return json.dumps(self._data, cls=DottyEncoder)
+
 
     def _split(self, key):
         """Split dot notated chain of keys.
@@ -333,3 +344,20 @@ def _split(self, key):
             keys[i] = k.replace(*stamp_esc).replace(*stamp_skp)
 
         return keys
+
+
+class DottyEncoder(json.JSONEncoder):
+    """Helper class for encoding of nested Dotty dicts into standard dict
+    """
+    def default(self, obj):
+        """Return dict data of Dotty when possible or encode with standard format
+
+        :param object: Input object
+
+        :return: Serializable data
+        """
+        if hasattr(obj, '_data'):
+            return obj._data
+        else:
+            return json.JSONEncoder.default(self, obj)
+

tests/test_dotty_api.py

@@ -24,6 +24,19 @@ def test_to_dict(self):
         self.assertIsInstance(dot.to_dict(), dict)
         self.assertEqual(sorted(dot.to_dict().items()), sorted(plain_dict.items()))
 
+    def test_nested_dotty_object_to_dict(self):
+        expected_dict = {'hello': {'world': 1}, 'nested': {'dotty': {'wazaa': 3}}}
+        top_dot = dotty({'hello': {'world': 1}})
+        nested_dot = dotty({'wazaa': 3})
+        top_dot['nested.dotty'] = nested_dot
+        self.assertDictEqual(top_dot.to_dict(), expected_dict)
+
+    def test_nested_dotty_in_list_to_dict(self):
+        expected_dict = {'testlist': [{'dot1': 1}, {'dot2': 2}]}
+        dot_list = [dotty({'dot1': 1}), dotty({'dot2': 2})]
+        top_dot = dotty({'testlist': dot_list})
+        self.assertDictEqual(top_dot.to_dict(), expected_dict)
+
 
 class TestDictSpecificMethods(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):