{"id":50194,"date":"2020-07-21T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T16:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icrowdnewswire.com\/?p=2663929"},"modified":"2020-07-21T16:30:00","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T16:30:00","slug":"how-to-use-dictionaries-in-python","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2020\/07\/21\/how-to-use-dictionaries-in-python\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use dictionaries in Python"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Want to seriously level up your coding game? Check out the Complete 2020 Python Programming Certification Bundle<\/a>, currently 97% off<\/strong> for Android Authority readers.<\/p>\n

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\"How<\/p>\n

One of the first things any new developer should learn when they start Python, is how to create and store variables. These allow you to store and manipulate data, which is key to creating powerful and dynamic programs. One of the most powerful ways to store data in Python is with dictionaries. In this guide, you will learn how to create dictionaries, how to retrieve information, and how to add to a dictionary in Python!<\/p>\n

Also read: <\/strong>How to round in Python<\/a><\/p>\n

Basic commands<\/h2>\n
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First, I’ll walk you through the statements you’ll need to create and access dictionaries. You’ll also learn how to add to a dictionary. Python makes all of this very easy! Then we’ll go over what this all means, and why you might want to use a dictionary over another method of storing values.<\/p>\n

To create a new dictionary, you simply use curly brackets. You then enter your data, with the key and the value separated by a colon, and each entry separated by a comma:<\/p>\n

JAVA<\/span>SELECT ALL<\/a><\/div>\n
newDict={\"Jeff\"<\/span> : 7701489772<\/span>,\"Bill\"<\/span> : 7378999911<\/span>, \"Nancy\"<\/span> : 7711289354<\/span>}<\/pre>\n
Note that Python will allow you to mix data types within your dictionary. Here, I have mixed strings and integers. This list stores a set of numbers with the person’s first name used as the key. This could be a handy way to quickly grab phone numbers of friends.<\/p>\n
We can then retrieve the value based on the key:<\/p>\n
PHP<\/span>SELECT ALL<\/a><\/div>\n
print<\/span>(newDict[\"Jeff\"<\/span>])<\/pre>\n
This will print Jeff’s number to the screen.<\/p>\n
Updating entries is likewise very straightforward:<\/p>\n
JAVA<\/span>SELECT ALL<\/a><\/div>\n
newDict[\"Jeff\"<\/span>] = 7789876224<\/span><\/pre>\n
And we can add to a dictionary in Python just as easily:<\/p>\n
JAVA<\/span>SELECT ALL<\/a><\/div>\n
newDict[\"Claire\"<\/span>] = 7711176329<\/span><\/pre>\n
Finally, we can delete dictionary entries, clear the entire thing, or completely delete the dictionary entry:<\/p>\n
PYTHON<\/span>SELECT ALL<\/a><\/div>\n
Del newDict[“Claire”]\r\n\r\nnewDict.clear()\r\n\r\ndel<\/span> newDict<\/pre>\n
When to use dictionaries in Python<\/h2>\n
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That is how to add to a dictionary in Python and much more. But what is a dictionary useful for and why would you want to use one?<\/p>\n
Essentially, dictionaries work a lot like lists. This means you can store lots of data in a single place for easy retrieval. We’ve previously discussed how to use lists in Python here:<\/p>\n