i use dictionaries to hold some config data, such as: conf={'key1':'value1','key2':'value2'} and so on... when i try to process conf, i have to code every time like: if conf.has_key('key1'): if conf['key1']<>'': other commands.... this is very annoying. in php, i was able to code only like: if conf['key1']=='someth' in python, this fails, because, if key1 does not exists, it raises an exception. MY question: is there a way to directly get value of an array/tuple/dict item by key, as in php above, even if key may not exist, i should not check if key exist, i should only use it, if it does not exist, it may return only empty, just as in php.... i hope you understand my question... -- İ.Bahattin Vidinli Elk-Elektronik Müh. ------------------- iletisim bilgileri (Tercih sirasina gore): skype: bvidinli (sesli gorusme icin, www.skype.com) msn: bvidinli@iyibirisi.com yahoo: bvidinli +90.532.7990607 +90.505.5667711