addict - the Python Dict that's better than heroin.

addict is a Python module that gives you a dictionary whose values are both gettable and settable using both attribute and getitem syntax.

Never again will you have to write code like this:

body = {
    'query': {
        'filtered': {
            'query': {
                'match': {'description': 'addictive'}
            },
            'filter': {
                'term': {'created_by': 'Mats'}
            }
        }
    }
}

From now on, you may simply write the following three lines:

body = Dict()
body.query.filtered.query.match.description = 'addictive'
body.query.filtered.filter.term.created_by = 'Mats'

###Installing To install simply type

pip install addict

###Usage addict inherits from dict, but is way more flexible in terms of accessing and setting its values. Working with dictionaries have never been more awesome than this! Setting the items of a nested Dict is a dream:

>>> from addict import Dict
>>> my_new_shiny_dict = Dict()
>>> my_new_shiny_dict.a.b.c.d.e = 2
>>> my_new_shiny_dict
{'a': {'b': {'c': {'d': {'e': 2}}}}}

###Pruning It behaves much like a defaultdict, in the way that trying to get a nonexistent key will return a new, empty Dict instance. So trying to peek at an empty item will result in

>>> addicted = Dict()
>>> addicted.a = 2
>>> addicted.b.c.d.e
{}
>>> addicted
{'a': 2, 'b': {'c': {'d': {'e': {}}}}}

But don't you worry, if you by mistake added some empty Dicts in your Dict, you can recursively delete those by running .prune() on your Dict

>>> addicted.prune()
{'a': 2}

Stuff to keep in mind

Also, remember that ints are not valid attribute names, so keys of the dict that are not strings must be set/get with the get-/setitem syntax

>>> addicted = Dict()
>>> addicted.a.b.c.d.e = 2
>>> addicted[2] = [1, 2, 3]
{2: [1, 2, 3], 'a': {'b': {'c': {'d': {'e': 2}}}}}

However feel free to mix the two syntaxes:

>>> addicted.a.b['c'].d.e
2

###Attributes like keys, items etc. addict will not let you override attributes that are native to dict, so the following will not work

>>> iama_addict = Dict()
>>> iama_addict.keys = 2
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "addict/addict.py", line 53, in __setattr__
    raise AttributeError("'Dict' object attribute '%s' is read-only" % name)
AttributeError: 'Dict' object attribute 'keys' is read-only

However, the following is fine

>>> a = Dict()
>>> a['keys'] = 2
>>> a
{'keys': 2}
>>> a['keys']
2

and hence there are no restrictions (other than what a regular dict imposes) regarding what keys you can use.

###Recursive Fallback to dict The defaultdict-like behaviour of addict, means it is prone to accidental setting of attributes. If you don't feel safe shipping your addict around to other modules, use the to_dict()-method, which returns a regular dict clone of the addict Dict.

>>> regular_dict = my_addict.to_dict()
>>> regular_dict.a = 2
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
AttributeError: 'dict' object has no attribute 'a'

This is perfect for when you wish to create a nested Dict in a few lines, and then ship it on to a different module.

body = Dict()
body.query.filtered.query.match.description = 'addictive'
body.query.filtered.filter.term.created_by = 'Mats'
third_party_module.search(query=body.to_dict())

###When is this especially useful? This module rose from the entirely tiresome creation of elasticsearch queries in Python. Whenever you find yourself writing out dicts over multiple lines, just remember that you don't have to. Use addict instead.

###Perks As it is a dict, it will serialize into JSON perfectly, and with the to_dict()-method you can feel safe shipping your addict anywhere.

###Testing, Development and CI Issues and Pull Requests are more than welcome here. Feel free to open an issue to spark a discussion around a feature or a bug, or simply reply to the existing ones. As for Pull Requests, keeping in touch with the surrounding code style will be appreciated, and as such, writing tests are crucial. Pull requests and commits will be automatically run against TravisCI and coveralls.

The unit tests are implemented in the test_addict.py file and use the unittest python framework. Running the tests is rather simple:

python -m unittest -v test_addict

# - or -
python test_addict.py

###Testimonials @spiritsack - "Mother of God, this changes everything."