why can't I use '.' to access my dictionary

Question

I'm trying to make a game in python and am organizing my data.

game={
    'img':{
        'bg':'wouir'
    }
}
print(stuff.img.bg)

When I push build it has an error on the last line saying:
AttributeError: 'dict' object has no attribute 'img'

It seems I have a problem, what is it?

Python is not Javascript, dictionary keys are not attributes, and accessing with square brackets like `game['img']` is not interchangeable with dot notation like `game.img`. — kaya3, Jan 29 '22 at 02:28
"It seems I have a problem, what is it?" Well, in your own words, what does `attribute` mean in a Python program? *According to the sources you used to learn Python*, how is data retrieved from a dictionary? — Karl Knechtel, Jan 29 '22 at 04:25
[Accessing elements of Python dictionary by index](https://stackoverflow.com/q/5404665/15497888) — Henry Ecker, May 22 '22 at 21:43

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited Jan 29 '22 at 02:49

1

In Python, the keys of a dictionary are not its attributes. This means you cannot call them with the .. You have to use ['img'] instead of .img.

Change your loop to this:

while True:
    screen.draw(game['img']['bg'], (0,0))    # I've only corrected game.img.bg

edited Jan 29 '22 at 02:49

CrazyChucky

3,263
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answered Jan 29 '22 at 02:47

Codeman

477
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score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 29 '22 at 02:56

1

You cannot access object's items through dot-notation in Python. You're supposed to use braces.

screen.draw(game["img"]["bg"], (0,0))

answered Jan 29 '22 at 02:56

Syllight

333
1
9

I had used this before but didn't know this was the use case. This is very interesting! – DucksEL Jan 29 '22 at 22:04

why can't I use '.' to access my dictionary

2 Answers2