Python: Saving dictionary to .py file

Question

I have got a dictionary this_dict produced in a python script that I would like to write to a separate python module dict_file.py. This would allow me to load the dictionary in another script by importing dict_file.

I thought a possible way of doing this was using JSON, so I used the following code:

import json

this_dict = {"Key1": "Value1",
             "Key2": "Value2",
             "Key3": {"Subkey1": "Subvalue1",
                      "Subkey2": "Subvalue2"
                     }
            }

with open("dict_file.py", "w") as dict_file:
    json.dump(this_dict, dict_file, indent=4)

When I opened the resulting file in my editor, I got a nicely printed dictionary. However, the name of the dictionary in the script (this_dict) was not included in the generated dict_file.py (so only the braces and the body of the dictionary were written). How can I include the name of the dictionary too? I want it to generate dict_file.py as follows:

this_dict = {"Key1": Value1,
             "Key2": Value2,
             "Key3": {"Subkey1": Subvalue1,
                      "Subkey2": Subvalue2
                     }
            }

Seems easier to just load the file as json this_dict = json.load(open("dict_file.json")) instead of generating source code. — ext
– ext, Commented Mar 22, 2018 at 23:32
2nd the usage of pickle stackoverflow.com/questions/4530611/… — Benedict K.
– Benedict K., Commented Mar 22, 2018 at 23:38

Nikita Malyavin · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-23 00:47:00Z

3

1) use file.write:

file.write('this_dict = ')
json.dump(this_dict, dict_file)

2) use write + json.dumps, which returns a string with json:

file.write('this_dict = ' + json.dumps(this_dict)

3) just print it, or use repr

file.write('this_dict = ')
file.write(repr(this_dict))
# or:
# print(this_dict, file=file)

answered Mar 23, 2018 at 0:47

Nikita Malyavin

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game0ver · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-22 23:35:35Z

0

If you don't want to use pickle as @roganjosh proposed in the comments, a hacky workaround would be the following:

this_dict = {"Key1": "Value1",
             "Key2": "Value2",
             "Key3": {"Subkey1": "Subvalue1",
                      "Subkey2": "Subvalue2"
                     }
            }

# print the dictionary instead
print 'this_dict = '.format(this_dict)

And execute the script as:

python myscript.py > dict_file.py

Note: Of course this assumes that you will not have any other print statements on myscript.py.

answered Mar 22, 2018 at 23:35

game0ver

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