Programming Assignment: Import and Scope

Introduction

So far, you've learned the different ways in which you can use import statements to import other Python files, modules and packages. You have also seen the different ways in which you can import specific functions using different formats of import.

Goal

Use the import statement to import a built-in package in Python.
Use the import statement to call a function present in another Python file.

Objectives

Learn how to use import to bring external code within direct scope of the project.

Instructions:

Step 1: Open the file jsongenerator.py present inside project folder.

Step 2: Import a built-in package called json.

Step 3: Import the following from a file called employee.py:

A function called details
Variables called employee_name, age and title

Step 4: Implement the create_dict() function that returns a dictionary given employee information.

4.1 Create and return a dictionary with three key-value pairs where

keys are string variables - “first_name”, “age” and “title” and their respective values are employee_name, age and title variables that we have imported from the employee module. Be sure to cast the values to the expected types.

Step 5:

Use a function called dumps() from the json module using dot notation and pass the employee_dict dictionary that we have created to it. Return its value to a variable named json_object*.*

The format of the same should look like:

variable = json.dumps(dict)

Step 6: Complete the write_json_to_file() function

6.1 Use a built-in function called open() and pass the output_file argument and “w” to it. Return the value of this function to a variable named newfile.

6.2 Call a function called write() over this variable newfile. Pass the json_object variable you created in Step 5 inside it.

6.3 Close this file by calling a built-in function close() directly on newfile. You don’t need to pass any arguments here.

Step 7: Save the files.

Step 8: Open the terminal to execute the files.

Open the terminal to run the script.

Step 9: Run the code using the command (within project directory)

python3 jsongenerator.py

Solution

jsongenerator.py

  # Import statements
  import json
  from employee import details, employee_name, age, title

  def create_dict(name, age, title):
      """ Creates a dictionary that stores an employee's information

      1. Return a dictionary that maps "first_name" to name, "age" to age, and "title" to title

      Args:
          name: Name of employee
          age: Age of employee
          title: Title of employee

      Returns:
          dict - A dictionary that maps "first_name", "age", and "title" to the
                 name, age, and title arguments, respectively. Make sure that 
                 the values are typecasted correctly (name - string, age - int, 
                 title - string)
      """
      employee_dict = {
          "first_name": str(name),
          "age": int(age),
          "title": str(title)
      }
      return employee_dict

  def write_json_to_file(json_obj, output_file):
      """ Write json string to file

      1. Open a new file defined by output_file
      2. Write json_obj to the new file

      Args:
          json_obj: json string containing employee information
          output_file: the file the json is being written to
      """
      with open(output_file, "w") as newfile:
          newfile.write(json_obj)

  def main():
      # Print the contents of details() -- This should print the details of an employee
      details()

      # Create employee dictionary
      employee_dict = create_dict(employee_name, age, title)
      print("employee_dict: " + str(employee_dict))

      # Use a function called dumps from the json module to convert employee_dict
      # into a json string and store it in a variable called json_object.
      json_object = json.dumps(employee_dict)

      # Write out the json object to file
      write_json_to_file(json_object, "employee.json")

  if __name__ == "__main__":
      main()

employee.py

  employee_name = "Mario"
  age = "55"
  title = "owner"

  def details():
      print("Employee name is:  ", employee_name)
      print("Employee age is: ", age)
      print("Employee title is:  ", title)

David Nguyen