How Can I Safely Simulate Variable Variables in Python?

Variable Variables in Python: A Case for Dictionaries

The concept of "variable variable names" allows the contents of a string to be included in a variable name. While this feature exists in languages like PHP, it's generally discouraged due to potential security risks.

However, there is a safe way to simulate variable variables in Python using dictionaries. Dictionaries store key-value pairs, where the keys can be strings or other objects.

Consider the following:

dct = {'x': 1, 'y': 2, 'z': 3}

This creates a dictionary with three key-value pairs. To access a value, use the key as an index:

print(dct['y'])  # Outputs 2

To achieve variable variable names, assign a string value to a variable and use it as the key in a dictionary. For example:

x = "spam"
z = {x: "eggs"}

Now, access the value using the string variable:

print(z["spam"])  # Outputs "eggs"

When faced with a series of variable assignments like this:

var1 = 'foo'
var2 = 'bar'
var3 = 'baz'

A list may be a better choice than a dictionary. Lists are ordered sequences of objects, accessible using integer indices:

lst = ['foo', 'bar', 'baz']
print(lst[1])  # Outputs 'bar'

Lists support iteration in order, slicing, and append, providing advantages over dictionaries for ordered sequences.

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