Python - Get items in sorted order from given dictionary

Python dictionaries contain key-value pairs that are unordered by default. Often, we need to display or process dictionary items in sorted order based on their keys. This article explores different methods to sort dictionary items.

Using operator.itemgetter()

The operator module provides itemgetter() function which can extract specific elements from tuples. Using itemgetter(0) sorts by keys, while itemgetter(1) sorts by values ?

import operator

data = {12: 'Mon', 21: 'Tue', 17: 'Wed'}
print("Given dictionary:", data)
print("Sorted by keys:")

for key, value in sorted(data.items(), key=operator.itemgetter(0)):
    print(key, "->", value)

Given dictionary: {12: 'Mon', 21: 'Tue', 17: 'Wed'}
Sorted by keys:
12 -> Mon
17 -> Wed
21 -> Tue

Sorting by Values

To sort by values instead of keys, use itemgetter(1) ?

import operator

data = {12: 'Mon', 21: 'Tue', 17: 'Wed'}
print("Sorted by values:")

for key, value in sorted(data.items(), key=operator.itemgetter(1)):
    print(key, "->", value)

Sorted by values:
12 -> Mon
21 -> Tue
17 -> Wed

Using sorted() on Dictionary Keys

The sorted() function can be applied directly to dictionary keys to get them in ascending order ?

data = {12: 'Mon', 21: 'Tue', 17: 'Wed'}
print("Given dictionary:", data)
print("Values in key-sorted order:")

for key in sorted(data):
    print(data[key])

Given dictionary: {12: 'Mon', 21: 'Tue', 17: 'Wed'}
Values in key-sorted order:
Mon
Wed
Tue

Using sorted() on dict.items()

The most common and readable approach is to sort dict.items(), which returns both keys and values in sorted order ?

data = {12: 'Mon', 21: 'Tue', 17: 'Wed'}
print("Given dictionary:", data)
print("Sorted items (key-value pairs):")

for key, value in sorted(data.items()):
    print(key, value)

Given dictionary: {12: 'Mon', 21: 'Tue', 17: 'Wed'}
Sorted items (key-value pairs):
12 Mon
17 Wed
21 Tue

Reverse Sorting

Add reverse=True parameter for descending order ?

data = {12: 'Mon', 21: 'Tue', 17: 'Wed'}
print("Sorted in descending order:")

for key, value in sorted(data.items(), reverse=True):
    print(key, value)

Sorted in descending order:
21 Tue
17 Wed
12 Mon

Comparison

Conclusion

Use sorted(dict.items()) for the most readable approach to sort dictionary items by keys. For custom sorting logic, use operator.itemgetter() with appropriate index parameters.