Get JSON nested values in python

Question

I'm 99% sure this has already been answered, but I'm a serious newbie and need your gental kindness.

Below is JSON I get through an API call

{
name: "dt_listings",
count: 10,
results: {
collection1: [
    {
    title: {
    text: "Human Anatomy and Physiology 10th",
    href: "http://www.directtextbook.com/isbn/9780321927040"
    },
    isbn: {
    text: "9780321927040",
    href: "http://www.directtextbook.com/isbn/9780321927040"
    }
} ]

import requests
import json
dt_raw = requests.get(dt_listings_url)
dt_json = dt_raw.json()

After this, is where my problems begin. I can't seem to go to ['results'] and then to ['collection1'] then ['title'] to get the values of ['title']['text'] nor ['isbn']['text']

Big request, if you use code sample to help, please use the names of the objects above so that i can follow (I'm having a serious brain freeze here!). And yes, i have read many stackoverflow posts related and I'm still having a hard time with this.

Maybe you need to use json.loads to convert the returned JSON string to a dictionary and access it's fields ? — ZdaR
– ZdaR, Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 6:15
A proper JSON should have keys in double quotes. "name":"dt_listings" — Amal Ts
– Amal Ts, Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 6:25
You forgot to close collection1, you opened it with [ but not closed it with ] This is not a valid JSON. In addition, 2 more } missed — Danh
– Danh, Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 6:27
sorry, to clarify, the JSON is a sample of a much larger file — Bruce Bookman
– Bruce Bookman, Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 17:30

Prashant Puri · Accepted Answer · 2016-01-06 08:08:39Z

3

Check your json, it has three things wrong

Key and values should be in double quotes.
For collection key closing brakect ] is missing.
ALso it is missing two closing brakets }.

Here is your proper json

 {
    "name": "dt_listings",
    "count": 10,
    "results": {
    "collection1": [
        {
         "title": {
         "text": "Human Anatomy and Physiology 10th",
         "href": "http://www.directtextbook.com/isbn/9780321927040"
         },
         "isbn": {
         "text": "9780321927040",
         "href": "http://www.directtextbook.com/isbn/9780321927040"
         }
       }
     ]
    }
  }

If your json is in proper format,check type of your json using type(dt_json)

If type is str, do json.loads(dt_json) and then try dt_json["results"]["collection1"][0]["title"]["text"]

And if type is dict, then directly try dt_json["results"]["collection1"][0]["title"]["text"]

edited Jan 6, 2016 at 8:08

answered Jan 6, 2016 at 6:36

Prashant Puri

2,3441 gold badge17 silver badges21 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

3 Comments

Muhammad Tahir Over a year ago

OP is using requests library so dt_raw.json() will automatically parse JSON response and return a dictionary instead of a string. So no need to check type and then call json.loads. Also dt_raw.json() will raise ValueError if response content was not valid. So if OP is getting past this line without exception then probably he is getting valid JSON.

Bruce Bookman Over a year ago

this helps some. the example JSON above is closed correctly and i just didnt copy/paste. however i think you are on to something with checking the type.

Bruce Bookman Over a year ago

Muhammand - you are 100% correct. it is returning a dict. going to try the dict suggestion above in a second

Pieter · Accepted Answer · 2016-01-06 06:27:24Z

0

You can use:

dt_json["results"]["collection1"][0]["title"]["text"]
There is a closing square bracket missing ("] "), probably before the last closing curly bracket. This makes the value of dt_json["results"]["collection1"] a list which should be indexed by an integer.

edited Jan 6, 2016 at 6:27

answered Jan 6, 2016 at 6:26

Pieter

3,4671 gold badge21 silver badges30 bronze badges

2 Comments

Danh Over a year ago

1 ] and 2 } missed.

Bruce Bookman Over a year ago

I assume that does not work if the keys are not quoted. i didn't notice that and now am wondering why the source (not under my control) has the data formatted in this way

iNikkz · Accepted Answer · 2016-01-06 06:27:49Z

0

First, Dictionary is not valid. Keys should be in double quotes.

Second, You have to check the type of response which you are getting via API.

Assume, you get your answer into dt_json. Check type of it using type(dt_json).

If type is "str" then you have to loads that dt_json using json.loads(dt_json) and then you can prase it easily..

answered Jan 6, 2016 at 6:27

iNikkz

3,8396 gold badges34 silver badges61 bronze badges

3 Comments

Bruce Bookman Over a year ago

my debugger tells me that dt_json is a dict. what next? :(

Bruce Bookman Over a year ago

and now i want to ask kimonolabs, which is where i created the api, is returning a dict

iNikkz Over a year ago

@BruceBookman: Just valid your dictionary response [here](json.parser.online.fr). If it dictionary, then you can easily do iteration over it. Please update your question with correct dict by which I can solve your issue.

wwulfric · Accepted Answer · 2016-01-06 06:34:59Z

0

{
  "name": "dt_listings",
  "count": 10,
  "results": {
    "collection1": [
      {
        "title": {
          "text": "Human Anatomy and Physiology 10th",
          "href": "http://www.directtextbook.com/isbn/9780321927040"
        },
        "isbn": {
          "text": "9780321927040",
          "href": "http://www.directtextbook.com/isbn/9780321927040"
        }
      }
    ]
  } 
}

I guess your data should be like above. There are some syntax errors in your json data.

If that's true:

import json

your_data = "{\n\"name\": \"dt_listings\",\n\"count\": 10,\n\"results\": {\n\"collection1\": [\n{\n    \"title\": {\n    \"text\": \"Human Anatomy and Physiology 10th\",\n    \"href\": \"http://www.directtextbook.com/isbn/9780321927040\"\n    },\n    \"isbn\": {\n    \"text\": \"9780321927040\",\n    \"href\": \"http://www.directtextbook.com/isbn/9780321927040\"\n    }\n    }\n  ]\n} \n}\n"

structured_data = json.loads(your_data)

# then get the result:

print structured_data['results']['collection1'][0]['isbn']

answered Jan 6, 2016 at 6:34

wwulfric

5311 gold badge5 silver badges15 bronze badges

1 Comment

Bruce Bookman Over a year ago

unfortunately, that is how the data gets to me :( not my data to format. but i think i have been able to force it to a format like what you have in your_data.

Bruce Bookman · Accepted Answer · 2016-01-06 18:09:12Z

0

Everyone was super helpful. The key issue is that dt_json is type dict. So the code below works perfectly.

dt_raw = requests.get(dt_listings_url)
dt_json = dt_raw.json()
print dt_json["results"]["collection1"][0]["isbn"]["text"]

answered Jan 6, 2016 at 18:09

Bruce Bookman

1342 silver badges13 bronze badges

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Get JSON nested values in python

5 Answers 5

3 Comments

2 Comments

3 Comments

1 Comment

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

5 Answers 5

3 Comments

2 Comments

3 Comments

1 Comment

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related