8 Python Dictionary Tricks I Wish I Knew Sooner

As a Python developer, I’ve spent countless hours working with dictionaries. But despite my experience, I’ve only recently discovered some game-changing techniques that have made my life so much easier. In this article, I’ll share eight Python dictionary tricks that I wish I knew sooner.

Creating Dictionaries with dict()

When it comes to creating dictionaries, most of us are familiar with the traditional method using curly braces {}. However, there’s a better way to do it using the dict() function. Instead of typing quote characters for string keys, you can simply pass in your key-value pairs as arguments.

d = {'apple': 4, 'orange': 5, 'pear': 6, 'pineapple': 7}

becomes

d = dict(apple=4, orange=5, pear=6, pineapple=7)

This may seem like a small difference, but trust me, it makes a huge impact when working with large dictionaries. Of course, the dict() method doesn’t work with non-string keys, so it’s essential to know when to use each approach.

Creating dictionaries with dict()

Combining Dictionaries with **

Another trick I’ve learned is combining dictionaries using the ** operator. This is especially useful when working with multiple dictionaries that need to be merged.

a = {1: 1, 2: 2}
b = {3: 3, 4: 4}
x = {**a, **b}
print(x)  # Output: {1: 1, 2: 2, 3: 3, 4: 4}

This technique has saved me so much time and effort when working with complex data structures.

Merging dictionaries with **

And There’s More…

These are just a few of the many Python dictionary tricks I’ve learned recently. From using dictionary comprehensions to creating ordered dictionaries, there’s so much more to explore. As I continue to learn and grow as a developer, I’m excited to share more of my discoveries with the Python community.

The world of Python dictionaries is full of surprises