Python Program to Sort a Dictionary by Key

Introduction

Sorting a dictionary by its keys is a common task when you need to organize the data in a specific order. In Python, dictionaries are unordered by default, but you can sort them based on their keys using various methods. This tutorial will guide you through creating a Python program that sorts a dictionary by its keys.

Example:

Input Dictionary: {'b': 3, 'a': 1, 'c': 2}
Output Dictionary: {'a': 1, 'b': 3, 'c': 2}
Input Dictionary: {'banana': 3, 'apple': 1, 'cherry': 2}
Output Dictionary: {'apple': 1, 'banana': 3, 'cherry': 2}

Problem Statement

Create a Python program that:

Takes a dictionary as input.
Sorts the dictionary by its keys.
Displays the sorted dictionary.

Solution Steps

Create a Dictionary: Initialize a dictionary with some key-value pairs.
Sort the Dictionary by Keys: Use the sorted() function to sort the dictionary by keys.
Display the Sorted Dictionary: Use the print() function to display the sorted dictionary.

Python Program

# Python Program to Sort a Dictionary by Key
# Author: https://www.rameshfadatare.com/

# Step 1: Create a dictionary with key-value pairs
my_dict = {
    'b': 3,
    'a': 1,
    'c': 2,
    'd': 4
}

# Step 2: Sort the dictionary by keys using the sorted() function
sorted_dict = dict(sorted(my_dict.items()))

# Step 3: Display the sorted dictionary
print("The sorted dictionary by key is:", sorted_dict)

Explanation

Step 1: Create a Dictionary with Key-Value Pairs

A dictionary my_dict is created with some key-value pairs, such as 'b': 3, 'a': 1, 'c': 2, and 'd': 4.

Step 2: Sort the Dictionary by Keys Using the sorted() Function

The sorted() function is used to sort the items of the dictionary by keys. The items() method is called on the dictionary to get a view object that displays a list of the dictionary’s key-value tuple pairs.
The sorted list of tuples is then converted back into a dictionary using the dict() constructor.

Step 3: Display the Sorted Dictionary

The print() function is used to display the sorted dictionary.

Output Example

Example 1:

The sorted dictionary by key is: {'a': 1, 'b': 3, 'c': 2, 'd': 4}

Example 2:

# Python Program to Sort a Dictionary by Key
# Author: https://www.rameshfadatare.com/

# Step 1: Create a dictionary with key-value pairs
my_dict = {
    'banana': 3,
    'apple': 1,
    'cherry': 2,
    'date': 5
}

# Step 2: Sort the dictionary by keys using the sorted() function
sorted_dict = dict(sorted(my_dict.items()))

# Step 3: Display the sorted dictionary
print("The sorted dictionary by key is:", sorted_dict)

Output:

The sorted dictionary by key is: {'apple': 1, 'banana': 3, 'cherry': 2, 'date': 5}

Example 3:

# Python Program to Sort a Dictionary by Key
# Author: https://www.rameshfadatare.com/

# Step 1: Create a dictionary with key-value pairs
my_dict = {
    'zebra': 5,
    'ant': 1,
    'elephant': 7,
    'cat': 3
}

# Step 2: Sort the dictionary by keys using the sorted() function
sorted_dict = dict(sorted(my_dict.items()))

# Step 3: Display the sorted dictionary
print("The sorted dictionary by key is:", sorted_dict)