Curriculum

15 Sections
167 Lessons
10 Weeks

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Python – Dictionary Methods

Python – Dictionary Methods: Essential Tools for Mastery

Table of Contents

Python dictionaries come with powerful built-in methods to manipulate and manage data. In this lesson, you’ll explore 12 essential dictionary methods—from clearing dictionaries to updating them. Let’s dive into these tools!

Key Dictionary Methods

Below are the core methods of the dict class, with examples to show them in action.

1. clear() – Removes all elements

d = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
d.clear()
print(d)

Output: {}

2. copy() – Shallow copy

d = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
d2 = d.copy()
print(d2)

Output: {‘a’: 1, ‘b’: 2}

3. fromkeys() – New dictionary from keys

keys = ["a", "b"]
d = dict.fromkeys(keys, 0)
print(d)

Output: {‘a’: 0, ‘b’: 0}

4. get(key, default) – Fetch value safely

d = {"a": 1}
print(d.get("a", 0))
print(d.get("b", 0))

Output: 1, 0

5. items() – Key-value pairs

d = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
print(d.items())

Output: dict_items([(‘a’, 1), (‘b’, 2)])

6. keys() – List of keys

d = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
print(d.keys())

Output: dict_keys([‘a’, ‘b’])

7. pop(key) – Remove specific key

d = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
d.pop("a")
print(d)

Output: {‘b’: 2}

8. popitem() – Remove last pair

d = {"a": 1, "b": 2}
d.popitem()
print(d)

Output: {‘a’: 1}

9. setdefault(key, default) – Set if not present

d = {"a": 1}
d.setdefault("b", 0)
print(d)

Output: {‘a’: 1, ‘b’: 0}

10. update(dict2) – Add pairs

d = {"a": 1}
d.update({"b": 2})
print(d)