Python Dictionary Methods

Dictionary Methods
Python has a set of built-in methods that you can use on dictionaries.

Method Description

clear() Removes all the elements from the dictionary

copy() Returns a copy of the dictionary

fromkeys() Returns a dictionary with the specified keys and value

get() Returns the value of the specified key

items() Returns a list containing a tuple for each key value pair

keys() Returns a list containing the dictionary's keys

pop() Removes the element with the specified key

popitem() Removes the last inserted key-value pair

setdefault() Returns the value of the specified key. If the key does not exist: insert the key, with the
specified value

update() Updates the dictionary with the specified key-value pairs

values() Returns a list of all the values in the dictionary

Python Dictionaries
thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}

Dictionary
Dictionaries are used to store data values in key:value pairs.

A dictionary is a collection which is unordered, changeable and does not allow duplicates.

Dictionaries are written with curly brackets, and have keys and values:

Example
Create and print a dictionary:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
print(thisdict)

Output:
{'brand': 'Ford', 'model': 'Mustang', 'year': 2020}

Dictionary Items
Dictionary items are unordered, changeable, and does not allow duplicates.

Dictionary items are presented in key:value pairs, and can be referred to by using the key name.

Example
Print the "brand" value of the dictionary:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
print(thisdict["brand"])

Output:
{'brand': 'Ford', 'electric': False, 'year': 1964, 'colors': ['red', 'white', 'blue']}
Unordered
When we say that dictionaries are unordered, it means that the items does not have a defined order, you cannot refer
to an item by using an index.

Changeable
Dictionaries are changeable, meaning that we can change, add or remove items after the dictionary has been created.

Duplicates Not Allowed

Dictionaries cannot have two items with the same key:

Example
Duplicate values will overwrite existing values:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964,
"year": 2020
}
print(thisdict)

Output:
{'brand': 'Ford', 'model': 'Mustang', 'year': 2020}

Dictionary Length
To determine how many items a dictionary has, use the len() function:

Example
Print the number of items in the dictionary:

print(len(thisdict))

Output:
4

Dictionary Items - Data Types

The values in dictionary items can be of any data type:

Example
String, int, boolean, and list data types:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"electric": False,
"year": 1964,
"colors": ["red", "white", "blue"]
}
print(thisdict)

Output:
{'brand': 'Ford', 'electric': False, 'year': 1964, 'colors': ['red', 'white', 'blue']}

type()
From Python's perspective, dictionaries are defined as objects with the data type 'dict':

<class 'dict'>
Example
Print the data type of a dictionary:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
print(type(thisdict))

Output:

<class 'dict'>

Python Collections (Arrays)

There are four collection data types in the Python programming language:

 List is a collection which is ordered and changeable. Allows duplicate members.

 Tuple is a collection which is ordered and unchangeable. Allows duplicate members.
 Set is a collection which is unordered and unindexed. No duplicate members.
 Dictionary is a collection which is unordered and changeable. No duplicate members.

When choosing a collection type, it is useful to understand the properties of that type. Choosing the right type for a
particular data set could mean retention of meaning, and, it could mean an increase in efficiency or security.
Python - Access Dictionary Items

Accessing Items
You can access the items of a dictionary by referring to its key name, inside square brackets:

Example
Get the value of the "model" key:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
x = thisdict["model"]

There is also a method called get() that will give you the same result:

Example
Get the value of the "model" key:

x = thisdict.get("model")

Get Keys
The keys() method will return a list of all the keys in the dictionary.

Example
Get a list of the keys:

x = thisdict.keys()

The list of the keys is a view of the dictionary, meaning that any changes done to the dictionary will be reflected in the
keys list.

Example
Add a new item to the original dictionary, and see that the value list gets updated as well:

car = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}

x = car.keys()

print(x) #before the change

car["color"] = "white"

print(x) #after the change

Output:

dict_keys(['brand', 'model', 'year'])

dict_keys(['brand', 'model', 'year', 'color'])

Get Values
The values() method will return a list of all the values in the dictionary.

Example
Get a list of the values:

x = thisdict.values()

The list of the values is a view of the dictionary, meaning that any changes done to the dictionary will be reflected in
the values list.

Example
Add a new item to the original dictionary, and see that the keys list gets updated as well:

car = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}

x = car.values()

print(x) #before the change

car["year"] = 2020

print(x) #after the change

Output:

dict_values(['Ford', 'Mustang', 1964])

dict_values(['Ford', 'Mustang', 2020])

Get Items
The items() method will return each item in a dictionary, as tuples in a list.

Example
Get a list of the key:value pairs

x = thisdict.items()

The returned list is a view of the items of the dictionary, meaning that any changes done to the dictionary will be
reflected in the items list.
Example
Add a new item to the original dictionary, and see that the items list gets updated as well:

car = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}

x = car.items()

print(x) #before the change

car["year"] = 2020

print(x) #after the change

Output:

dict_items([('brand', 'Ford'), ('model', 'Mustang'), ('year', 1964)])

dict_items([('brand', 'Ford'), ('model', 'Mustang'), ('year', 2020)])

Check if Key Exists

To determine if a specified key is present in a dictionary use the in keyword:

Example
Check if "model" is present in the dictionary:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
if "model" in thisdict:
print("Yes, 'model' is one of the keys in the thisdict dictionary")

Output:

Yes, 'model' is one of the keys in the thisdict dictionary

Python - Change Dictionary Items

Change Values
You can change the value of a specific item by referring to its key name:

Example
Change the "year" to 2018:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
thisdict["year"] = 2018

Update Dictionary
The update() method will update the dictionary with the items from the given argument.

The argument must be a dictionary, or an iterable object with key:value pairs.

Example
Update the "year" of the car by using the update() method:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
thisdict.update({"year": 2020})
Python - Add Dictionary Items
Adding Items
Adding an item to the dictionary is done by using a new index key and assigning a value to it:

Example
thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
thisdict["color"] = "red"
print(thisdict)

Output:
{'brand': 'Ford', 'model': 'Mustang', 'year': 1964, 'color': 'red'}

Update Dictionary
The update() method will update the dictionary with the items from a given argument. If the item does not exist, the
item will be added.

The argument must be a dictionary, or an iterable object with key:value pairs.

Example
Add a color item to the dictionary by using the update() method:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
thisdict.update({"color": "red"})
Python - Remove Dictionary Items
Removing Items
There are several methods to remove items from a dictionary:

Example
The pop() method removes the item with the specified key name:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
thisdict.pop("model")
print(thisdict)

Output:

{'brand': 'Ford', 'year': 1964}

Example
The popitem() method removes the last inserted item (in versions before 3.7, a random item is removed instead):

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
thisdict.popitem()
print(thisdict)

Output:
{'brand': 'Ford', 'model': 'Mustang'}

Example
The del keyword removes the item with the specified key name:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
del thisdict["model"]
print(thisdict)

Output:
{'brand': 'Ford', 'year': 1964}

Example
The del keyword can also delete the dictionary completely:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
del thisdict
print(thisdict) #this will cause an error because "thisdict" no longer exists.

Output:
Error

Example
The clear() method empties the dictionary:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
thisdict.clear()
print(thisdict)

Output:
{}
Python - Loop Dictionaries
Loop Through a Dictionary
You can loop through a dictionary by using a for loop.

When looping through a dictionary, the return value are the keys of the dictionary, but there are methods to return
the values as well.

Example
Print all key names in the dictionary, one by one:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
for x in thisdict:
print(x)

Output:
brand
model
year

Example
Print all values in the dictionary, one by one:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}

for x in thisdict:
print(thisdict[x])

Output:
Ford
Mustang
1964

Example
You can also use the values() method to return values of a dictionary:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}

for x in thisdict.values():
print(x)

Output:
Ford
Mustang
1964
Example
You can use the keys() method to return the keys of a dictionary:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}

for x in thisdict.keys():
print(x)

Output:
brand
model
year

Example
Loop through both keys and values, by using the items() method:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}

for x, y in thisdict.items():
print(x, y)

Output:
brand Ford
model Mustang
year 1964
Python - Copy Dictionaries

Copy a Dictionary
You cannot copy a dictionary simply by typing dict2 = dict1, because: dict2 will only be a reference to dict1, and
changes made in dict1 will automatically also be made in dict2.

There are ways to make a copy, one way is to use the built-in Dictionary method copy().

Example
Make a copy of a dictionary with the copy() method:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
mydict = thisdict.copy()
print(mydict)

Output:
{'brand': 'Ford', 'model': 'Mustang', 'year': 1964}

Another way to make a copy is to use the built-in function dict().

Example
Make a copy of a dictionary with the dict() function:

thisdict = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
mydict = dict(thisdict)
print(mydict)

Output:
{'brand': 'Ford', 'model': 'Mustang', 'year': 1964}
Python - Nested Dictionaries

Nested Dictionaries
A dictionary can contain dictionaries, this is called nested dictionaries.

Example
Create a dictionary that contain three dictionaries:

myfamily = {
"child1" : {
"name" : "Emil",
"year" : 2004
},
"child2" : {
"name" : "Tobias",
"year" : 2007
},
"child3" : {
"name" : "Linus",
"year" : 2011
}
}

Or, if you want to add three dictionaries into a new dictionary:

Example
Create three dictionaries, then create one dictionary that will contain the other three dictionaries:

child1 = {
"name" : "Emil",
"year" : 2004
}
child2 = {
"name" : "Tobias",
"year" : 2007
}
child3 = {
"name" : "Linus",
"year" : 2011
}

myfamily = {
"child1" : child1,
"child2" : child2,
"child3" : child3
}
Exercise 1:
Use the get method to print the value of the "model" key of the car dictionary.

car = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}
print( )

Exercise 2:
Add the key/value pair "color" : "red" to the car dictionary.

car = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}

Exercise 3:
Use the pop method to remove "model" from the car dictionary.

car = {
"brand": "Ford",
"model": "Mustang",
"year": 1964
}