A python class that acts like dict

Question

class Mapping(dict):

    def __setitem__(self, key, item):
        self.__dict__[key] = item

    def __getitem__(self, key):
        return self.__dict__[key]

    def __repr__(self):
        return repr(self.__dict__)

    def __len__(self):
        return len(self.__dict__)

    def __delitem__(self, key):
        del self.__dict__[key]

    def clear(self):
        return self.__dict__.clear()

    def copy(self):
        return self.__dict__.copy()

    def has_key(self, k):
        return k in self.__dict__

    def update(self, *args, **kwargs):
        return self.__dict__.update(*args, **kwargs)

    def keys(self):
        return self.__dict__.keys()

    def values(self):
        return self.__dict__.values()

    def items(self):
        return self.__dict__.items()

    def pop(self, *args):
        return self.__dict__.pop(*args)

    def __cmp__(self, dict_):
        return self.__cmp__(self.__dict__, dict_)

    def __contains__(self, item):
        return item in self.__dict__

    def __iter__(self):
        return iter(self.__dict__)

    def __unicode__(self):
        return unicode(repr(self.__dict__))


o = Mapping()
o.foo = "bar"
o['lumberjack'] = 'foo'
o.update({'a': 'b'}, c=44)
print 'lumberjack' in o
print o

In [187]: run mapping.py
True
{'a': 'b', 'lumberjack': 'foo', 'foo': 'bar', 'c': 44}

Like this

class CustomDictOne(dict):
   def __init__(self,*arg,**kw):
      super(CustomDictOne, self).__init__(*arg, **kw)

Now you can use the built-in functions, like dict.get() as self.get().

You do not need to wrap a hidden self._dict. Your class already is a dict.

Check the documentation on emulating container types. In your case, the first parameter to add should be self.

Here is an alternative solution:

class AttrDict(dict):
    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
        self.__dict__ = self

a = AttrDict()
a.a = 1
a.b = 2

This is my best solution. I used this many times.

class DictLikeClass:
    ...
    def __getitem__(self, key):
        return getattr(self, key)

    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
        setattr(self, key, value)
    ...

You can use like:

>>> d = DictLikeClass()
>>> d["key"] = "value"
>>> print(d["key"])

I really don't see the right answer to this anywhere

class MyClass(dict):
    
    def __init__(self, a_property):
        self[a_property] = a_property

All you are really having to do is define your own __init__ - that really is all that there is too it.

Another example (little more complex):

class MyClass(dict):

    def __init__(self, planet):
        self[planet] = planet
        info = self.do_something_that_returns_a_dict()
        if info:
            for k, v in info.items():
                self[k] = v

    def do_something_that_returns_a_dict(self):
        return {"mercury": "venus", "mars": "jupiter"}

This last example is handy when you want to embed some kind of logic.

Anyway... in short class GiveYourClassAName(dict) is enough to make your class act like a dict. Any dict operation you do on self will be just like a regular dict.