Python: Get key of the outer of two nested dicts based on one of the values in the inner dict in one line

Question

How to get the desired result in python?

Base nested dictionary:

dictionary = {"aliceCo": {'name': "Cooper, Alice", 'group': 'finance'},
              "bobDe": {'name': "Decker, Bob", 'group': 'hr'},
              "caecilEl": {'name': "Elton, Caecil", 'group': 'sales'}
              [many similar entrys...]
              }

My attempt:

def get_result_list(dictionary, search_string):
    return [[key for inner_val in val.values() if search_string in inner_val] for key, val in dictionary.items()]

my_result_list = get_result_list(dictionary, 'sales')

My result:

my_result_list = [[], [], ['caecilEl'], [], [], ...]

Desired result:

my_result_list = ['caecilEl']

I get that I have double lists from the return line, but I found no way to omit them. Also all the empty lists are not wanted. I could go over the result and fix it in another function, but I wish to do it in the inital function.

Thanks for any advice or hints on where to look for a solution!

Welcome to Stack Overflow. The linked duplicate should answer your question. You should also read [ask] and note that, since this is *not a discussion forum*, questions [should not include](https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/260776/should-i-remove-fluff-when-editing-questions/) language thanking people (unnecessary and a distraction for people who search later), or saying that any help or hints are desired ([not specific enough](https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/284236)). — Karl Knechtel, Feb 01 '22 at 18:25
Finally, here is [a great resource for list comprehension questions](https://treyhunner.com/2015/12/python-list-comprehensions-now-in-color/). — Karl Knechtel, Feb 01 '22 at 18:25

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 01 '22 at 18:12

0

The empty lists are included because of the nested list.

This function would give the desired result.

def get_result_list(dictionary, search_string):
    return [key for key, val in dictionary.items() if search_string in val.values()]

answered Feb 01 '22 at 18:12

kaliappan

16
2

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 01 '22 at 18:20

In some cases, it is better to even use a for loop since it is easier to understand and read. I've tried both the solutions:

Using list comprehension:

dnames = {"aliceCo": {'name': "Cooper, Alice", 'group': 'finance'},
          "bobDe": {'name': "Decker, Bob", 'group': 'hr'},
          "caecilEl": {'name': "Elton, Caecil", 'group': 'sales'}
          }
ans = [key for key,value in dnames.items() if value['group'] == 'sales']
ans

Using 2 for loop:

ans = []
for key,value in dnames.items():
    for key1,value1 in value.items():
        if value1 == 'sales':
            ans.append(key)

Using 1 for loop:

ans = []
for key,value in dnames.items():
     if value['group] == 'sales':
     ans.append(key)

Python: Get key of the outer of two nested dicts based on one of the values in the inner dict in one line

2 Answers2