Python dictionary takes quotes out!

[CoffeeRain]

I have a python program that gets input, saves it in a dictionary, and writes it to a file. When I get it out at the next time I run it, all the quotes are gone so it will not work. Do you have any ideas how to fix it, or a command I could run to put the quotes in the right spots?

[Riisen]

how do you get the text and how do you write it to file x?

[Arndt]

I have a python program that gets input, saves it in a dictionary, and writes it to a file. When I get it out at the next time I run it, all the quotes are gone so it will not work. Do you have any ideas how to fix it, or a command I could run to put the quotes in the right spots?

Do you have some example code that shows the problem?

[CoffeeRain]

Sure, here's some code.


r = open('dictionary.txt', 'r')
d = r.read()
d = eval(d)
r.close()

word = raw_input('Foo? ')
word2 = raw_input('Baz? ')
d[word] = word2

os.system('echo ' + pickle.dumps(d) + ' > dictionary.txt')

I mean this isn't all of it, in case it doesn't work, but I hope it's enough to give you a general idea.

[simeon87]

If you use pickle to write the file then you also have to use pickle to load the file: http://docs.python.org/library/pickle.html#pickle.load or http://docs.python.org/library/pickle.html#pickle.loads

[CoffeeRain]

I figured I should put the error message up...


File "dict.py", line 6, in <module>
d = eval(d)
File "<string>", line 1

{box: A box is something that can hold stuff., hut: A hut is a dwelling place, usually thought of as small.,.....}

The first few times I tried putting quotes around the stuff to figure out if that was the problem, and it worked the next time, but it just took the quotes out. Would it be something about using pickle?

[CoffeeRain]

Thanks, I was probably composing my thing when you replied. I'll try that.

[CoffeeRain]

Now it says


Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dict.py", line 5, in <module>
d = pickle.load('/Users/foo/dictionary.txt')
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/pickle.py", line 1370, in load
return Unpickler(file).load()
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/pickle.py", line 841, in __init__
self.readline = file.readline
AttributeError: 'str' object has no attribute 'readline'

I'm guessing it means that the dictionary got converted to a string and didn't get converted back.

[simeon87]

Now it says


Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dict.py", line 5, in <module>
d = pickle.load('/Users/foo/dictionary.txt')
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/pickle.py", line 1370, in load
return Unpickler(file).load()
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/pickle.py", line 841, in __init__
self.readline = file.readline
AttributeError: 'str' object has no attribute 'readline'

I'm guessing it means that the dictionary got converted to a string and didn't get converted back.

You are calling pickle.load with a string but you have to call it with a file object, see the documentation: http://docs.python.org/library/pickle.html#pickle.load

[CoffeeRain]

Like this?


r = open('dictionary.txt', 'r')
d = pickle.load(r.read())

I've tried it, but it still gives an error about a string.

[simeon87]

Like this?


r = open('dictionary.txt', 'r')
d = pickle.load(r.read())

I've tried it, but it still gives an error about a string.

Try pickle.load(r). By calling read() you're still turning it into a string.

[Zugzwang]

Sure, here's some code.


r = open('dictionary.txt', 'r')
d = r.read()
d = eval(d)
r.close()

word = raw_input('Foo? ')
word2 = raw_input('Baz? ')
d[word] = word2

os.system('echo ' + pickle.dumps(d) + ' > dictionary.txt')

I mean this isn't all of it, in case it doesn't work, but I hope it's enough to give you a general idea.

@OP: Apprently you didn't got an answer to the question where the quotes went until now (or did I miss the post?). The reason is that when calling os.system, the quotes are interpreted by the shell and thus never appear in "dictionary.txt". Example terminal session:


me@my-computer:/tmp$ echo "Hello"
Hello

As you can see, the quotes vanish.

However, the solution not to use "os.system" that has somewhat been proposed in this thread is the right one to solve your problem.

[CoffeeRain]

Thanks for the tips! Thanks for explaining why the quotes go away. Now I get an end of file error for pickle.load(r).

[CoffeeRain]

I think I fixed that, because I found out nothing was in the file. Now I get...

raceback (most recent call last):
File "dict.py", line 5, in <module>
d = pickle.load(r)
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/pickle.py", line 1370, in load
return Unpickler(file).load()
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/pickle.py", line 858, in load
dispatch[key](self)
KeyError: '{'


I tried using pickle in the interpreter, but it won't work. Yes, it was imported. I get this...

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/pickle.py", line 1374, in loads
return Unpickler(file).load()
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/pickle.py", line 858, in load
dispatch[key](self)
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/pickle.py", line 1156, in load_binget
self.append(self.memo[repr(i)])
KeyError: '105'

[simeon87]

Can you post your updated code to see what you're doing now? If you're getting errors in pickle it most likely means you're passing the wrong kind of data as input or arguments. Use the documentation to see what kind of information a function expects. Python won't say anything unless you run the code and see that it wasn't the right thing.

[CoffeeRain]

OK,


r = open('dictionary.txt', 'r')
d = pickle.load(r)
d = eval(d)
r.close()
f = file('dictionary.txt', 'w')
......
pickle.dump(d, f)

[simeon87]

The following code writes a dictionary to file, using pickle, and reads it using pickle:


import pickle

d = {"Test": "Foo", 1: 2}
f = file('dictionary.txt', 'w')
pickle.dump(d, f)
f.close()
r = open('dictionary.txt', 'r')
d = pickle.load(r)
r.close()
print d

When you use pickle.load, it already constructs the dictionary.

Make sure dictionary.txt doesn't contain some incorrect data. If necessary, just remove it manually and dump the dictionary again to the file.

[cgroza]

OK,


r = open('dictionary.txt', 'r')
d = pickle.load(r)
d = eval(d)
r.close()
f = file('dictionary.txt', 'w')
......
pickle.dump(d, f)
Why do you use eval on it? d is already a dictionary instance. I think you do not understand how serialization works.
Pickle does not return the content of the file. Pickle reads the file and gives you the saved instance of the object it contained. So, when you did pickle.load, d turned to a dictionary instance.

You were trying to eval a dictionary object.

[CoffeeRain]

I'm now getting a KeyError: '{' and sometimes " ' "

[cgroza]

I'm now getting a KeyError: '{' and sometimes " ' "
Did the code change since post #16?

[CoffeeRain]

Yes. I took the eval(d) out.


r = open('dictionary.txt', 'r')
d = pickle.load(r)
r.close()
f = file('dictionary.txt', 'w')
.......
pickle.dump(d, f)

[cgroza]

Yes. I took the eval(d) out.


r = open('dictionary.txt', 'r')
d = pickle.load(r)
r.close()
f = file('dictionary.txt', 'w')
.......
pickle.dump(d, f)
Did you remove the dictionary.txt after you applied the fix? Chances are that you are loading the corrupt version again.