[Tutor] need advice about a dictionary ({})

[James Reynolds]

On Thu, Sep 8, 2011 at 10:03 AM, Alan Gauld <alan.gauld at btinternet.com>wrote:

> On 08/09/11 11:58, Richard D. Moores wrote:
>
>> I've succeeded in writing a dictionary ({}) that I can use as a small
>> personal phone book. The dictionary (very shortened and simplified)
>> looks like this in the script;
>>
>> p = {}
>>
>> p['bp1'] = 'xxx'
>> p['bp2'] = 'ooo'
>> p['ch'] = 'zzz'
>> p['me'] = 'aaa'
>> p['mg'] = 'vvv'
>> p['pu1'] = 'bbb'
>> p['pu2'] = 'ccc'
>> p['pw'] = 'kkk'
>>
>>
> You could have done that in one line if you preferred:
>
> > p = {
>  'bp1':'xxx',
>  'bp2':'ooo'
>   etc/...
>  'pw':'kkk'
>
> }
>
>
>  But I'd like to put the lines of the dictionary in a text file so that
>> I can add key/value items to it by writing to it with another script.
>>
>
> Consider using a shelve (See the shelve module)
> It is basically a file that you can treat as a dictionary...
>
> Try:
>
> >>> import shelve
> >>> help(shelve)
>
> For examples and info.
>
>
> --
> Alan G
> Author of the Learn to Program web site
> http://www.alan-g.me.uk/
>
>
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Another option would be for you to use XML and base it off of a schema.

There's a really nifty tool called generate DS (just google it) that will
turn any valid schema into a python module.

I pasted an example schema that you might use here:
http://pastebin.com/AVgVGpgu

 Once you install generateds, just cd to where it is installed and type:
python generateds.py -o pn.py PhoneNumber.xsd

This assumes you named the above schema as PhoneNumber.xsd

That will create a file called pn.py. For some reason it generated a bad
line on line 452, which I just commented out.

I then made a script in just a few lines to make a phonebook:

http://pastebin.com/h4JB0MkZ

This outputs XML that looks like this:

    <PhoneBook>
>         <Listing>
>             <PersonsName>aaa</PersonsName>
>             <Number Type="Mobile">
>                 <Number>1231231234</Number>
>             </Number>
>         </Listing>
>         <Listing>
>             <PersonsName>bbb</PersonsName>
>             <Number Type="Work">
>                 <Number>1231231234</Number>
>             </Number>
>             <Number Type="Home">
>                 <Number>6789231234</Number>
>             </Number>
>         </Listing>
>         <Listing>
>             <PersonsName>ccc</PersonsName>
>             <Number Type="Fax">
>                 <Number>1231231234</Number>
>             </Number>
>         </Listing>
>         <Listing>
>             <PersonsName>ddd</PersonsName>
>             <Number Type="Home">
>                 <Number>1231231234</Number>
>             </Number>
>         </Listing>
>     </PhoneBook>


The advantage is, you can immediately grab the generated xml and create
python instances using the build() method for further editing. You would of
course need to create a schema that fits your needs. Mine was just a quick
and dirty example of what you could do.
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