Python | Convert a list of lists into tree-like dict

Last Updated : 18 Feb, 2019

Given a list of lists, write a Python program to convert the given list of lists into a tree-like dictionary.

Examples:

Input : [[1], [2, 1], [3, 1], [4, 2, 1], [5, 2, 1], [6, 3, 1], [7, 3, 1]]
Output : {1: {2: {4: {}, 5: {}}, 3: {6: {}, 7: {}}}}

Input : [['A'], ['B', 'A'], ['C', 'A'], ['D', 'C', 'A']]
Output : {'A': {'C': {'D': {}}, 'B': {}}}

Method #1 : Naive Method
This is a Naive approach in which we use two for loops to traverse the list of lists. We initialize the empty dictionary ‘tree’ to currTree and each time we check if the key (list of list’s item) is included in the currTree or not. If not, include it in the currTree, otherwise do nothing. Finally, assign the currTree[key] to currTree.

# Python3 program to Convert a list 
# of lists into Dictionary (Tree form) 
  
def formTree(list): 
    tree = {} 
    for item in list: 
        currTree = tree 
  
        for key in item[::-1]: 
            if key not in currTree: 
                currTree[key] = {} 
            currTree = currTree[key] 
              
    return tree 
  
# Driver Code 
lst = [['A'], ['B', 'A'], ['C', 'A'], ['D', 'C', 'A']] 
print(formTree(lst)) 

Output:

{'A': {'B': {}, 'C': {'D': {}}}}

Method #2 : Using reduce()
The reduce() function is used to apply a particular function passed in its argument to all of the list elements mentioned in the sequence passed along. We will use reduce() to traverse the dictionary and reuse getTree() to find the location to store the value for setTree(). All but the last element in mapList is needed to find the ‘parent’ dictionary to add the value to, then use the last element to set the value to the right key.

# Python3 program to Convert a list 
# of lists into Dictionary (Tree form) 
  
from functools import reduce
from operator import getitem 
  
def getTree(tree, mappings): 
    return reduce(getitem, mappings, tree) 
      
def setTree(tree, mappings): 
    getTree(tree, mappings[:-1])[mappings[-1]] = dict() 
  
# Driver Code 
lst = [['A'], ['B', 'A'], ['C', 'A'], ['D', 'C', 'A']] 
tree ={} 
for item in lst: 
    setTree(tree, item[::-1]) 
  
print(tree) 

Output:

{'A': {'B': {}, 'C': {'D': {}}}}

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