Fixing KeyError in Python Dictionary Access

A KeyError occurs in Python when you try to access a key in a dictionary that does not exist. In your case, the error arises because you are attempting to access the key 'address', which is not present in my_dict.

Example Code

1my_dict = {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 30}
2
3print(my_dict['address'])  # KeyError: 'address'

1my_dict = {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 30}
2
3print(my_dict['address'])  # KeyError: 'address'

How to Fix KeyError

Here are a few methods to handle this situation:

1. Check if the Key Exists

You can check if the key exists in the dictionary before accessing it:

1if 'address' in my_dict:
2    print(my_dict['address'])
3else:
4    print("Key 'address' not found.")

1if 'address' in my_dict:
2    print(my_dict['address'])
3else:
4    print("Key 'address' not found.")

2. Use the get() Method

The get() method allows you to provide a default value if the key is not found:

1address = my_dict.get('address', 'Address not available')
2print(address)  # Output: Address not available

1address = my_dict.get('address', 'Address not available')
2print(address)  # Output: Address not available

3. Handle the Exception

You can also handle the KeyError using a try-except block:

1try:
2    print(my_dict['address'])
3except KeyError:
4    print("Key 'address' not found.")

1try:
2    print(my_dict['address'])
3except KeyError:
4    print("Key 'address' not found.")

Conclusion

By using one of the methods above, you can avoid the KeyError and handle missing keys in your dictionary gracefully. Choose the method that best fits your needs based on how you want to handle missing data.