How to create a Python dictionary from an object\'s fields?

In Python, objects are instances of classes containing attributes and methods, while dictionaries are collections of key-value pairs. Converting an object's fields to a dictionary is useful for serialization, debugging, or data processing. Python provides two main approaches for this conversion.

Using __dict__ Attribute

Every Python object has a __dict__ attribute that stores the object's attributes and their values as a dictionary. This attribute directly exposes the internal namespace of the object ?

Example

class Company:
    def __init__(self, company_name, location):
        self.company_name = company_name
        self.location = location
        self.founded_year = 2008

company = Company("TutorialsPoint", "Hyderabad")
print(company.__dict__)

The output of the above code is ?

{'company_name': 'TutorialsPoint', 'location': 'Hyderabad', 'founded_year': 2008}

Using vars() Function

The vars() function returns the __dict__ attribute of an object. It provides a cleaner way to access object attributes as a dictionary ?

Example

class Employee:
    def __init__(self, name, department, salary):
        self.name = name
        self.department = department
        self.salary = salary

employee = Employee("John Doe", "Engineering", 75000)
employee_dict = vars(employee)
print(employee_dict)

The output of the above code is ?

{'name': 'John Doe', 'department': 'Engineering', 'salary': 75000}

Comparison

Working with Complex Objects

Both methods work with objects containing various data types ?

class Product:
    def __init__(self, name, price, categories):
        self.name = name
        self.price = price
        self.categories = categories
        self.in_stock = True

product = Product("Laptop", 999.99, ["Electronics", "Computers"])
print("Using __dict__:", product.__dict__)
print("Using vars():", vars(product))

The output of the above code is ?

Using __dict__: {'name': 'Laptop', 'price': 999.99, 'categories': ['Electronics', 'Computers'], 'in_stock': True}
Using vars(): {'name': 'Laptop', 'price': 999.99, 'categories': ['Electronics', 'Computers'], 'in_stock': True}

Conclusion

Both __dict__ and vars() provide access to an object's attributes as a dictionary. Use vars() for cleaner, more readable code, while __dict__ offers direct attribute access when needed.