django/python convert string which represents a python dictionary into a dictionary object

Question

I have a string which represents a python dictionary returned from a db table e.g.

{'name': 'John', 'email': '[email protected]'}

where {'name': 'John', 'email': '[email protected]'} is returned as a string from the db

I then have a function which receives a dictionary as **kwargs e.g.

def print_details(*args, **kwargs):
    name = kwargs.pop('name', None)
    email = kwargs.pop('email', None)

    print "%s - %s " % (name, email)

I want to do

dict = DB return value
print_details(dict)

but I don't know how to convert the string dict into a python dictionary

I am using Django but if there is no way in Django then Python would obviously work as well

"string dict into a python dictionary"? Did you try eval()? What was wrong with that? — S.Lott
– S.Lott, Commented Feb 17, 2011 at 11:15
@S.Lott: There are several things wrong with eval, not only in OP's case ;) — user395760
– user395760, Commented Feb 17, 2011 at 11:18
A database containing strings that represent Python dicts? That sounds like it's breaking all kinds of rules of database normalization... — Karl Knechtel
– Karl Knechtel, Commented Feb 17, 2011 at 13:12
@S.Lott: It's slow, can easily lead to security problems or hard-to-debug errors, therefore requies exsessive validation (i.e. not hard to use properly even when warranted), and of course it's usually the wrong (too powerful) tool for the job. — user395760
– user395760, Commented Feb 17, 2011 at 14:12

user395760 · Accepted Answer · 2011-02-17 11:21:45Z

6

ast.literal_eval is a very restricted, safer eval that only evals literals (e.g. dicts, tuple or list literal containing string, int, float, ... literals).

A JSON parser would work as well for an even more restricted subset (bools are different, null instead of None, no tuples, perhaps even more). Again, the standard library can do this (and there are third party solutions for older Python versions).

answered Feb 17, 2011 at 11:21

user395760

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