Quick Reference
The Python dictionary setdefault() method returns the value of the item with the specified key. If the key does not exist, it will insert the key with the specified value.
car = {
"brand": "Maserati",
"model": "Quattroporte",
"year": 2025
}
x = car.setdefault("model", "Ghibli")
print(x)Output
QuattroporteNote
Since the “model” existed, it simply returns the value “Quattroporte”. If it had not existed, it would place “model”: “Ghibli” in the dictionary and then return “Ghibli”.
Syntax
dictionary.setdefault(keyname, value)| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| keyname | The keyname of the item you want to return the value from (required) |
| value | If the key exist, this parameter has no effect; if the key does not exist, this value becomes the key's value (default value None) |
Parameters
Python Notes:
- The most recent major version of Python is Python 3; however, Python 2 is still in use and quite popular, although not being updated with anything other than security updates
- Python uses new lines to complete a command, as opposed to other programming languages which often use semicolons or parentheses
- Python relies on indentation, using whitespace to define scope, such as the scope of loops, functions, and classes; other programming languages often use curly-brackets for this purpose
- Python string methods return new values, and DO NOT change the original string
- Python tuples are unchangeable after created (their items CANNOT be changed or re-ordered at a later point)
- Python sets are unordered (may appear in random orders when called), unchangeable (the value of individual items cannot be changed after creation), unindexed (items cannot be referred to by index or key), and duplicates are NOT ALLOWED
- As of v3.7, Python dictionaries are ordered and duplicates ARE ALLOWED; in v3.6 and earlier, dictionaries were unordered (did not have a defined order and could not be referred to using an index)
We’d like to acknowledge that we learned a great deal of our coding from W3Schools and TutorialsPoint, borrowing heavily from their teaching process and excellent code examples. We highly recommend both sites to deepen your experience, and further your coding journey. We’re just hitting the basics here at 1SMARTchicken.