Check if an Object is an Array or a Dict

Question

I'd like to check if var is an Array or a Dict.

typeof(var) == Dict

typeof(var) == Array

But it doesn't work because typeof is too precise: Dict{ASCIIString,Int64}. What's the best way ?

Answer 1

If you need a "less precise" check, you may want to consider using the isa() function, like this:

julia> d = Dict([("A", 1), ("B", 2)])
julia> isa(d, Dict)
true
julia> isa(d, Array)
false

julia> a = rand(1,2,3);
julia> isa(a, Dict)
false
julia> isa(a, Array)
true

The isa() function could then be used in control flow constructs, like this:

julia> if isa(d, Dict)
         println("I'm a dictionary!")
       end
I'm a dictionary!

julia> if isa(a, Array)
         println("I'm an array!")
       end
I'm an array!

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Note: Tested with Julia 0.4.3