DotDict is a variation of the classic "Bunch" recipe - just a dictionary, with all the normal dictionary methods, but the attributes are accessible by dot notation. Use this when you just really want to turn some dictionaries (i.e. from JSON) into something like JavaScript objects. Achieved with very little code. See bottom of docstring for Stac…

dot_dict.py

class DotDict(dict):
    """ A dictionary whose attributes are accessible by dot notation.

    This is a variation on the classic `Bunch` recipe (which is more limited
    and doesn't give you all of dict's methods). It is just like a dictionary,
    but its attributes are accessible by dot notation in addition to regular
    `dict['attribute']` notation. It also has all of dict's methods.

    .. doctest::

        >>> dd = DotDict(foo="foofoofoo", bar="barbarbar")
        >>> dd.foo
        'foofoofoo'
        >>> dd.foo == dd['foo']
        True
        >>> dd.bar
        'barbarbar'
        >>> dd.baz
        >>> dd.qux = 'quxquxqux'
        >>> dd.qux
        'quxquxqux'
        >>> dd['qux']
        'quxquxqux'

    NOTE:   There are a few limitations, but they're easy to avoid
            (these should be familiar to JavaScript users):

        1.  Avoid trying to set attributes whose names are dictionary methods,
            for example 'keys'. Things will get clobbered. No good.
        2.  You can store an item in a dictionary with the key '1' (`foo['1']`),
            but you will not be able to access that attribute using dotted
            notation if its key is not a valid Python variable/attribute name
            (`foo.1` is not valid Python syntax).

    FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW THIS WORKS, SEE:
    - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/224026/
    - http://stackoverflow.com/questions/35988/
    """

    def __getattr__(self, attr):
        return self.get(attr, None)

    __setattr__ = dict.__setitem__

    __delattr__ = dict.__delitem__