Passing a dictionary to a function as keyword parameters

Dave_Hillier_1575281 0
Viewed 304458

I'd like to call a function in python using a dictionary with matching key-value pairs for the parameters.

Here is some code:

d = dict(param='test')

def f(param):
    print(param)

f(d)

This prints {'param': 'test'} but I'd like it to just print test.

I'd like it to work similarly for more parameters:

d = dict(p1=1, p2=2)
def f2(p1, p2):
    print(p1, p2)
f2(d)

Is this possible?

parameters keyword function dictionary python
4 Answers

Figured it out for myself in the end. It is simple, I was just missing the ** operator to unpack the dictionary

So my example becomes:

d = dict(p1=1, p2=2)
def f2(p1,p2):
    print p1, p2
f2(**d)
Dave_Hillier_15752810

In python, this is called "unpacking", and you can find a bit about it in the tutorial. The documentation of it sucks, I agree, especially because of how fantasically useful it is.

llimllib_425590

Here ya go - works just any other iterable:

d = {'param' : 'test'}

def f(dictionary):
    for key in dictionary:
        print key

f(d)
Patrick_Harrington_411650
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