utils.dotdict

Dictionary wrapper that allows dot notation access without method name conflicts.

This class solves a common Jinja2 gotcha: when using dot notation on a regular dict, Jinja2 will access dict methods (like .items()) instead of dictionary keys named "items".

Example Problem:

>>> data = {"skills": [{"category": "Programming", "items": ["Python"]}]}
>>> # In Jinja2 template:
>>> # {{ skill_group.items }}  # Accesses .items() method! ❌

Solution with DotDict:

>>> data = DotDict({"skills": [{"category": "Programming", "items": ["Python"]}]})
>>> # In Jinja2 template:
>>> # {{ skill_group.items }}  # Accesses "items" field! ✅

Features:

• Dot notation: obj.key
• Bracket notation: obj['key']
• Recursive wrapping of nested dicts (with caching for performance)
• Dict-like interface (but not inheriting from dict)
• No method name collisions

Usage:

>>> # Create from dict
>>> data = DotDict({"name": "Alice", "age": 30})
>>> data.name
'Alice'

>>> # Nested dicts auto-wrapped
>>> data = DotDict({"user": {"name": "Bob"}})
>>> data.user.name
'Bob'

>>> # Lists preserved
>>> data = DotDict({"items": ["a", "b", "c"]})
>>> data.items  # Returns list, not a method!
['a', 'b', 'c']

Implementation Note:

Unlike traditional dict subclasses, DotDict does NOT inherit from dict.
This avoids method name collisions. We implement the dict interface
manually to work with Jinja2 and other dict-expecting code.

Performance:

Nested dictionaries are wrapped lazily and cached on first access.
This prevents repeatedly creating new DotDict objects for the same
nested data, which is especially important for deeply nested structures
or when accessed in template loops.