How to Print Class Instance Attributes from a Python Dictionary Like a Pro

Learn how to display class instance attributes such as `sell_price` from a Python dictionary in your dungeon crawler game. Follow our comprehensive guide and enhance your coding skills!
---

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Print class instance attribute from Python dictionary

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Printing Class Instance Attributes from a Python Dictionary

When you're developing a dungeon crawler game in Python, one common task is displaying useful information about items. For instance, you might have various classes representing weapons and armor, each with unique attributes like sell_price. The challenge lies in efficiently printing this information from a dictionary of class instances. In this guide, we'll walk through the problem and provide a clear solution so you can impress your players with well-organized item details!

Understanding the Problem

Your game structure utilizes a dictionary, blacksmith_dict, to categorize items into types such as "Weapons" and "Armor". Each item in this dictionary is a class instance that has attributes, including the crucial sell_price. Here's what your initial dictionary looks like:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

After players select an item type, you’ll want to provide an easy way to list each item and its sell_price. So, how do we achieve this? Let's break down the steps!

Creating the Structure to Display Items

First, you create a list of item types and associate them with indexes, so users can choose which category to view. From there, things get more interesting when you prompt the player to select an item within that category.

Step 1: Listing Item Types

Create a list of blacksmith item types and display them. Your code snippet for this is along the lines of:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this section, you effectively map each item type to a number for easy reference by the player.

Step 2: Allow the Player to Choose a Type

Once the item type is selected by the player, you’ll want to create a second dictionary to facilitate selecting an actual item within that category:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Here, you sort the items by sell_price and prepare to display them.

The Key Solution: Enhancing the Output with __repr__

To include the sell_price in your output, you will need to override the string representation of your item class, which is done by defining the __repr__ method. This method will format the string to include all relevant details, including sell_price. Here's how to do it:

Step 3: Implementing the __repr__ Method

In your item class, implement the following method:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Example Output

After implementing the changes, when the player selects an item, the output looks like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Now, not only do players see the item names, but they also see the details that matter when making a purchase.

Conclusion

Enhancing your item display in your dungeon crawler with attributes like sell_price greatly improves user experience. By implementing the __repr__ method, you can elegantly display all relevant item details and make it easier for players to make informed decisions.

Remember, a clean and understandable codebase is just as important as a fun game! Happy coding, and may your adventures in Python continue!