Python: Elegantly merge dictionaries with sum() of values [duplicate]

Answer 1

You can use Counter or defaultdict, or you can try my variant:

def merge_with(d1, d2, fn=lambda x, y: x + y):
    res = d1.copy() # "= dict(d1)" for lists of tuples
    for key, val in d2.iteritems(): # ".. in d2" for lists of tuples
        try:
            res[key] = fn(res[key], val)
        except KeyError:
            res[key] = val
    return res

>>> merge_with({'a':1, 'b':2}, {'a':3, 'c':4})
{'a': 4, 'c': 4, 'b': 2}

Or even more generic:

def make_merger(fappend=lambda x, y: x + y, fempty=lambda x: x):
    def inner(*dicts):
        res = dict((k, fempty(v)) for k, v
            in dicts[0].iteritems()) # ".. in dicts[0]" for lists of tuples
        for dic in dicts[1:]:
            for key, val in dic.iteritems(): # ".. in dic" for lists of tuples
                try:
                    res[key] = fappend(res[key], val)
                except KeyError:
                    res[key] = fempty(val)
        return res
    return inner

>>> make_merger()({'a':1, 'b':2}, {'a':3, 'c':4})
{'a': 4, 'c': 4, 'b': 2}

>>> appender = make_merger(lambda x, y: x + [y], lambda x: [x])
>>> appender({'a':1, 'b':2}, {'a':3, 'c':4}, {'b':'BBB', 'c':'CCC'})
{'a': [1, 3], 'c': [4, 'CCC'], 'b': [2, 'BBB']}

Also you can subclass the dict and implement a __add__ method: