How to Efficiently Update Nested Dictionary Values in Python Without Creating New References?
I've been banging my head against this for hours... I'm collaborating on a project where I'm currently working on a project in Python 3.8 where I need to update values in a nested dictionary without unintentionally creating new references. Here's an example of my dictionary structure: ```python nested_dict = { 'user1': { 'age': 25, 'preferences': {'color': 'blue', 'food': 'pizza'} }, 'user2': { 'age': 30, 'preferences': {'color': 'red', 'food': 'sushi'} } } ``` I want to update the color preference for 'user1' to 'green'. However, I want to ensure that I am modifying the existing dictionary in place rather than creating a new reference. I tried the following: ```python nested_dict['user1']['preferences']['color'] = 'green' ``` This seems to work, but I'm a bit worried about potential side effects, especially if other parts of my code hold references to `nested_dict`. I fear that if I mistakenly assign this to another variable or pass it around, it could lead to unintended behavior. I also read about using the `copy` module for deep copies, but that seems unnecessary for my use case, especially since I just want to update a single value. Additionally, when I print `nested_dict`, I see the updated value as expected: ```python print(nested_dict) # Output: {'user1': {'age': 25, 'preferences': {'color': 'green', 'food': 'pizza'}}, 'user2': {'age': 30, 'preferences': {'color': 'red', 'food': 'sushi'}}} ``` However, is this the best practice for updating nested values? How can I be sure that I'm not causing any issues with references elsewhere in the code? Would using a helper function for the update be a better approach, or am I overcomplicating this? Any insights or best practices would be greatly appreciated! This is happening in both development and production on Ubuntu 20.04. Hoping someone can shed some light on this. I'm on Linux using the latest version of Python. I'd really appreciate any guidance on this. I'm working with Python in a Docker container on Debian. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.