The syntax of copy() is:
dict.copy()
copy() Parameters
The copy() method doesn't take any parameters.
Return Value from copy()
This method returns a shallow copy of the dictionary. It doesn't modify the original dictionary.
Example 1: How copy works for dictionaries?
original = {1:'one', 2:'two'}
new = original.copy()
print('Orignal: ', original)
print('New: ', new)
When you run the program, the output will be:
Orignal: {1: 'one', 2: 'two'}
New: {1: 'one', 2: 'two'}
Difference in Using copy() method, and = Operator to Copy Dictionaries
When copy() method is used, a new dictionary is created which is filled with a copy of the references from the original dictionary.
When = operator is used, a new reference to the original dictionary is created.
Example 2: Using = Operator to Copy Dictionaries
original = {1:'one', 2:'two'}
new = original
# removing all elements from the list
new.clear()
print('new: ', new)
print('original: ', original)
When you run the program, the output will be:
new: {}
original: {}
Here, when the new dictionary is cleared, the original dictionary is also cleared.
Example 3: Using copy() to Copy Dictionaries
original = {1:'one', 2:'two'}
new = original.copy()
# removing all elements from the list
new.clear()
print('new: ', new)
print('original: ', original)
When you run the program, the output will be:
new: {}
original: {1: 'one', 2: 'two'}
Here, when the new dictionary is cleared, the original dictionary remains unchanged.