Print the shapes of nested data structures

printshape.py

def printshape(x):
    children = lambda a: { printshape(b) for b in a }
    fmt = lambda a,b: a.format("|".join(b))
    together = lambda a,b: fmt(a, children(b))
    if isinstance(x, list):
        return together("list[{}]", x)
    elif isinstance(x, set):
        return together("set[{}]", x)
    elif isinstance(x, tuple):
        return together("tuple[{}]", x)
    elif isinstance(x, dict):
        return together("dict[{}]", x.values())
    elif isinstance(x, (str,unicode)):
        return "string"
    elif isinstance(x, int):
        return "int"
    elif isinstance(x, float):
        return "float"
    elif isinstance(x, file):
        return "file"
    else:
        return x.__class__.__name__
       
# Helper for printshape_i 
def _print_container(name, children, depth=0):
    indent_to = lambda a,b: "".join(["".ljust(4*a),b])
    if len(children) > 1:
        return "\n".join(["{}[".format(name),"\n".join(map(lambda k: indent_to(depth+1,k), children)), indent_to(depth,"]")])
    elif len(children) == 1:
        return "{}[{}]".format(name, "".join(children))
    else:
        return "{}[]".format(name)

# Prints out the shape in a more indented fashion. Useful for huge data structures
def printshape_i(x, depth=0):
    children = lambda a: { printshape_i(b,depth+1) for b in a }
    indent_to = lambda a,b: "".join(["".ljust(4*a),b])
    container = lambda a,b: _print_container(a, children(b), depth)
    if isinstance(x, list):
        return container("list", x)
    elif isinstance(x, set):
        return container("set", x)
    elif isinstance(x, tuple):
        return container("tuple", x)
    elif isinstance(x, dict):
        return container("dict", x.values())
    elif isinstance(x, (str,unicode)):
        return "string"
    elif isinstance(x, int):
        return "int"
    elif isinstance(x, float):
        return "float"
    elif isinstance(x, file):
        return "file"
    else:
        return x.__class__.__name__