Remove nested key from dictionary

Question

Let\'s say I have a rather complex dictionary, like this one:

let dict: [String: Any] = [
    \"countries\": [
        \"japan\": [
            \"capital\":          


        

Answer 1

When working with a subscript, if the subscript is get/set and the variable is mutable, then the entire expression is mutable. However, due to the type cast the expression "loses" the mutability. (It's not an l-value anymore).

The shortest way to solve this is by creating a subscript that is get/set and does the conversion for you.

extension Dictionary {
    subscript(jsonDict key: Key) -> [String:Any]? {
        get {
            return self[key] as? [String:Any]
        }
        set {
            self[key] = newValue as? Value
        }
    }
}

Now you can write the following:

dict[jsonDict: "countries"]?[jsonDict: "japan"]?[jsonDict: "capital"]?["name"] = "berlin"

We liked this question so much that we decided to make a (public) Swift Talk episode about it: mutating untyped dictionaries