Add values from two dictionaries

Question

dict1 = {a: 5, b: 7}
dict2 = {a: 3, c: 1}

result {a:8, b:7, c:1}

How can I get the result?

Answer 1

Here is a nice function for you:

def merge_dictionaries(dict1, dict2):
    merged_dictionary = {}

    for key in dict1:
        if key in dict2:
            new_value = dict1[key] + dict2[key]
        else:
            new_value = dict1[key]

        merged_dictionary[key] = new_value

    for key in dict2:
        if key not in merged_dictionary:
            merged_dictionary[key] = dict2[key]

    return merged_dictionary

by writing:

dict1 = {'a': 5, 'b': 7}
dict2 = {'a': 3, 'c': 1}
result = merge_dictionaries(dict1, dict2)

result will be:

{'a': 8, 'b': 7, 'c': 1}