Fix Python TypeError: 'dict_keys' object is not subscriptable

The Python error TypeError: 'dict_keys' object is not subscriptable occurs when you try to access an element of a dict_keys object using the subscript notation (e.g., dict_obj[0])

To fix the error, convert the dict_keys object to a list such as in list(dict_obj.keys())[0].

Let’s see an example. Suppose you try to index or slice a dict_keys object as follows:

items = {'a': 1, 'b': 2, 'c': 3}
keys = items.keys()

# ❌ Access keys with index notation
print(keys[0]) 

# ❌ Access keys with slice notation
print(keys[0:2])

The keys() method of the dict object returns an iterable object containing the dictionary key values. This object is called dict_key object.

In Python version 3, the dict_key object can’t be accessed like a list because it doesn’t implement the __getitem__ method which is called by the subscript notation internally.

The code above gives the following output:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File ...
    print(keys[0])
TypeError: 'dict_keys' object is not subscriptable

To fix this error, you need to convert the dict_keys object into a subscriptable object, such as a list or a tuple.

You can do this using the built-in list() or tuple() functions as shown in the code below:

items = {'a': 1, 'b': 2, 'c': 3}
keys = items.keys()

# convert dict_keys object to list
keys = list(keys)
print(keys[0])  # 'a'
print(keys[0:2])  # ['a', 'b']

# convert dict_keys object to tuple
keys = tuple(keys)
print(keys[0])  # 'a'

Alternatively, you can iterate over the dict_keys object using a for loop like this:

items = {'a': 1, 'b': 2, 'c': 3}
keys = items.keys()

# iterate over dict_keys object
for key in keys:
    print(key)

Depending on how you want to use the dict_keys object, you can choose between converting it to a subscriptable object, or iterating over the dict_keys using a for loop.

Conclusion

The dict_keys object is an iterable object that represents the keys of a dict object.

It is not a subscriptable object, which means you cannot access its elements using the subscript notation.

When you use a subscript notation such as indexing or slicing syntax, Python shows the TypeError: 'dict_keys' object is not subscriptable error.

To fix this error, you need to convert the dict_keys object into a subscriptable object like a list or a tuple. Following the examples in this article should help you fix the error.

Conclusion

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