Dictionary package

The Dictionary package contains actions that enable you to do various operations on dictionary-type values.

Dictionary data type

A dictionary is a collection of key-value pairs, in which each key has a value. It is similar to an entry in a dictionary, where each word has a corresponding definition or explanation. The key is similar to the word, and the definition or explanation is similar to its value. The properties of dictionary entries are as follows:

  • Keys are unique within each dictionary variable. If you try to duplicate a key, you will overwrite its value.
  • Key names cannot be changed.
  • Keys are case-sensitive.
  • Keys can contain leading and trailing whitespaces.

Each key-value pair in a dictionary is separated by a colon. The key-value pairs are separated from each other by commas. An example of a dictionary is as follows:

invoice = {'CustomerID': 9876, 'Location': 'XYZ', 'Amount': 12,34,567}

In the example, 'CustomerID', 'Location', and 'Amount' are keys, and the corresponding value assigned to each key is separated by a colon.

Working with variables of dictionary data type

A dictionary variable can hold values of boolean, number, or string data subtype. When initializing a dictionary variable, you can select the Any data subtype in order to hold any of the three data subtypes. You can manually enter values by creating a new variable or selecting an existing one from the Variables menu, and then clicking Add.

Use a dictionary variable to hold email or PDF properties.

Note: When you use either the dictionary variable or the Get action from the Dictionary package to verify whether a key exists in a dictionary variable and retrieve its corresponding value, different output displays if the key does not exist:
  • The dictionary variable retrieves a null value.
  • The Get action retrieves a blank value.

Actions in the Dictionary package

The following actions are available: