mapping(x)

gistfile1.py

def mapping(x):
    """Check whether x is a mapping type (e.g. dict)"""
    import sys
    if 'numpy' in sys.modules:
        try:
            from numpy import ndarray
            if isinstance(x, ndarray): return False # nasty special case
        except ImportError:
            pass
    methods = ['__contains__', '__getitem__', 'items', 'iteritems']
    return all(hasattr(x, m) and callable(getattr(x, m)) for m in methods)