python convert a string to arguments list

Question

Can I convert a string to arguments list in python?

def func(**args):
    for a in args:
        print a, args[a]

func(a=2, b=3)

# I want the following work li         


        

Answer 1

You want a dictionary, not an 'argument list'. You also would be better off using ast.literal_eval() to evaluate just Python literals:

from ast import literal_eval

params = "{'a': 2, 'b': 3}"
func(**literal_eval(params))

Before you go this route, make sure you've explored other options for marshalling options first, such as argparse for command-line options, or JSON for network or file-based transfer or persistence.