Another Python rookie trying to port to C/C++ question.

[Don Bruder]

A week or two ago, I asked here about porting Python to C. Got some good 
answers (Note 1) but now I've got another question. Actually, more a 
request for clarification of a topic that both the Python tutorial and 
docs leave a touch murky to my understanding.

Dictionaries/"dict" types...

Am I understanding/interpreting correctly when I go with the idea that a 
"dict" variable can be looked at as (effectively) two parallel arrays? 
Something like this C construct:

struct DictStruct
   {
      char    *KeyArray[<somenumber>];
      ValType ValArray[<somenumber>];
   }

Where "ValType" would be likely be a union, to allow 
assigning/retrieving the actual values correctly depending on what their 
individiual types were, and "<somenumber>" is just that: Some 
more-or-less arbitrarily selected value that provides enough space to 
handle all expected numbers of key/value pairs?

Similarly, would something like:

struct DictStruct
   {
      char Key[25];
      ValType Value;
      DictStruct *PrevDictEntry;
      DictStruct *NextDictEntry;
   }

(again, ValType would probably be a union to cover each type of value 
that might be wanted in the dictionary - but in this case, Key directly 
contains the Key's name) then building a double-linked list of struct 
DictStructs end up behaving at least reasonably like a Python "dict"? 

I expect that either will be a reasonable facsimile of how Python 
handles dicts, with, of course, the corresponding overhead (which may be 
surprisingly little, I'm thinking... but I have yet to code that part, 
so I may find out it's going to be a nightmare) of "We want the value 
that goes with key, so we've got to walk the KeyArray[] until we find a 
match, then extract the value from the other array", or a similar 
procedure for the doubly-linked list.

Or am I way out in left field with the way I'm RTFM?

 

(Note 1)
Along with quite a bit of entirely unwelcome "Python evangelism" -- 
Which part of "I don't care how good, bad, or indifferent Python is 
compared to C/C++, or any other language. I want this Python code to be 
written in C/C++, end of discussion." wasn't clear enough for those of 
you who took it upon yourselves to preach (including the idiot who 
decided to spew a relatively impressive (as such things go) string of 
insults about how stupid I am, how far up my ass my head is, and how 
pathetic my family all the way back to Adam must be for producing such a 
throwback because I've got no interest in adopting "the perfect 
language...") at me on the merits of Python, both on group and 
in-mailbox?

-- 
Don Bruder -  dakidd at sonic.net <--- Preferred Email - SpamAssassinated.
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