Question

What is the easiest way to convert Python dict e.g.:

a = {'a': 'value', 'b': 'another_value', ...}

into string using user format e.g.:

'%s - %s\n'

so it gives me:

a - value
b - another_value

This works, but maybe there is something shorter/better using map (without iterating over collection)

''.join(['%s %s\n' % o for o in a.items()])

Answer 1

You can omit the square brackets to avoid building the intermediate list:

''.join('%s %s\n' % o for o in a.items())

Since you’re asking about map, here is one way to write it using map:

''.join(map(lambda o:'%s %s\n' % o, a.items()))

It’s a matter of preference, but I personally find it harder to read than the original version.