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Let's build a dictionary!

Track:
Python Core, Internals, Extensions
Type:
Tutorial
Level:
intermediate
Room:
Club H
Start:
13:45 on Tuesday, 15 July 2025
End:
17:00 on Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Duration:
180 minutes
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Abstract

Dictionaries are one of the most important data structures in Python. We use them all of the time, in a wide variety of ways. But have you ever thought about how you might implement your own dictionary class? In this tutorial, we'll do exactly that, creating a simple-but-usable dict. Along the way, we'll talk not only about hash functions, and how to resolve collisions, but also a variety of topics related to Python classes, magic methods, and generators. You'll come out of this tutorial with a deeper understanding of Python's dictionaries -- not just what they are and how they work, but also how various Python mechanisms all combine to give us the dicts that we love.