indigo.Dict() within indigo.Dict() ?

I have something like the following code (summarised):

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  name = 'someData'
  props = dev.pluginProps
  if not 'STORED-DATA' in props:
    props['STORED-DATA'] = indigo.Dict()
  props['STORED-DATA'][name] = indigo.Dict()
  props['STORED-DATA'][name]['mode'] = 'D'
  dev.replacePluginPropsOnServer(props)



I am getting an error on the line setting mode to D ='key someData not found in dict'. It looks like the line:

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props['STORED-DATA'][name] = indigo.Dict()

isn't storing an indigo.Dict.

Am I missing something obvious here? - I probably am

[matt (support)]

indigo.Dict()'s are a bit special. In this case the issue is that accessing a value in an indigo.Dict() always returns a copy (not reference) of that object, so the props['STORED-DATA'] part of your props['STORED-DATA'][name] line is returning a copy of the dict and not an editable reference to the actual dict. So adding another indigo.Dict() to key [name] is just adding it to the temporary copy that is immediately destroyed since it wasn't assigned to a variable.

The workaround is to use the Indigo specific API setitem_in_item() as documented here. However, your use case more complicated because you have an indigo.Dict() (dev.pluginProps ) containing an indigo.Dict() (['STORED-DATA']) containing an indigo.Dict() ([name]). That extra level of embedding won't work with setitem_in_item() and there is no setitem_in_item_in_item().

Given that (2 levels deep of dict embedding), I think I would just cast STORED-DATA as a python dict while you manipulate it, then stuff it back into the props when you are done. Something like (untested!):

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  name = 'someData'
  props = dev.pluginProps
  storedData = dict(props['STORED-DATA']) if 'STORED-DATA' in props else dict()
  storedData[name] = dict()   # note if value at key name might already exist then you might have to cast this to a python dict() too: storedData[name] = dict(storedData[name])
  storedData[name]['mode'] = 'D'
  props['STORED-DATA'] = storedData
  dev.replacePluginPropsOnServer(props)

Clear as mud?

.... Clear as mud?

Well it was thin enough for me to wade through it and using your example code, get it working - Thanks!

The Indigo 7 documentation says:

Enhanced plugin valuesDict handling so that plugin methods that return a valuesDict can modify key/value pairs in an instance's pluginProps attribute even if there are no UI <Field> nodes defined for those pairs inside the Devices.xml, Events.xml, etc.

So following on from this question and loosely related, using Indigo 7 I have tried the following code within a Button press callback method within a device config:

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  qwerty = {}   # Also tried indigo.Dict() without success
  qwerty['A'] = 'A'
  qwerty['B'] = 'B'
  valuesDict['qwerty'] = qwerty
  valuesDict['abcdef'] = 'abcdef'
  return valuesDict

When I subsequently save the config and then print the device to the Indigo log, the qwerty field is missing but the abcdef field is present. Indigo gives no indication/error as to why the qwerty field is omitted.

I discovered that my code (in response to the initial question) wasn't working when I just ran it but confusingly was when I tested it in the debugger. I then realised that the difference was that in the debugger (as I was single stepping code) I was taking so long that the ConfigUI dialogue timed out and so the save didn't happen. I was updating the plugin props in the closeDeviceConfigUi and then these were getting "nuked" when the closeDeviceConfigUi returned to Indigo when it completed the update.
Hence thinking that I should use the ability to update valuesDict instead.

So what I am ideally looking to do is to update the pluginProps in the closeDeviceConfigUi but if I can't then I can do it on a button press by updating the valuesDict if it is possible to define a dictionary to it. The fallback is that I can have a number of fields suffixed with 01, 02, 03, ... 27 (as I know the limit).

[jay (support)]

I think that adding the dict in that method isn't going to work without some code changes on our side.

Maybe a better workaround is to store your dict as a JSON string. That's easy to do:

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  import json
  qwerty = {}   # Also tried indigo.Dict() without success
  qwerty['A'] = 'A'
  qwerty['B'] = 'B'
  valuesDict['qwerty'] = json.dumps(qwerty)
  return valuesDict

Then you just have to remember whenever you use it to recreate the dict:

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import json
qwerty = json.loads(props["qwerty"])

Thanks Jay, that works.

I am still having to move the updating of the valuesDict/Props to an Add Button as I can't see how to do this update from the CloseConfig.
I read somewhere that the valuesDict at that stage is read only - so is it not possible in that method?

[jay (support)]

I think in the close method it might be, but it's definitely not in the validate method, so you could probably do it there.

I think in the close method it might be, but it's definitely not in the validate method, so you could probably do it there.

Good point

That solves the issues for me , thanks for the help