Python Json loads() returning string instead of dictionary?

Ok first you should print your object so that you can read it:

>>> from pprint import pprint
>>> output = [{in_reply_to_status_id_str: None, in_reply_to_screen_name: None, retweeted:     False, in_reply_to_status_id: None, contributors: None, favorite_count: 0, in_reply_to_user_id: None, coordinates: None, source: <a href=http://twitter.com rel=nofollow>Twitter Web Client</a>, geo: None, retweet_count: 0, text: Tweeting a url nhttp://t.co/QDVYv6bV90, created_at: Mon Sep 01 19:36:25 +0000 2014, entities: {symbols: [], user_mentions: [], urls: [{expanded_url: http://www.isthereanappthat.com, display_url: isthereanappthat.com, url: http://t.co/QDVYv6bV90, indices: [16, 38]}], hashtags: []}, id_str: 506526005943865344, in_reply_to_user_id_str: None, truncated: False, favorited: False, lang: en, possibly_sensitive: False, id: 506526005943865344, user: {profile_text_color: 333333, time_zone: None, entities: {description: {urls: []}}, url: None, profile_background_image_url: http://abs.twimg.com/images/themes/theme1/bg.png, profile_background_image_url_https: https://abs.twimg.com/images/themes/theme1/bg.png, protected: False, default_profile_image: True, utc_offset: None, default_profile: True, screen_name: KickzWatch, follow_request_sent: False, following: False, profile_background_color: C0DEED, notifications: False, description: , profile_sidebar_border_color: C0DEED, geo_enabled: False, verified: False, friends_count: 40, created_at: Mon Sep 01 16:29:18 +0000 2014, is_translator: False, profile_sidebar_fill_color: DDEEF6, statuses_count: 4, location: , id_str: 2784389341, followers_count: 4, favourites_count: 0, contributors_enabled: False, is_translation_enabled: False, lang: en, profile_image_url: http://abs.twimg.com/sticky/default_profile_images/default_profile_6_normal.png, profile_image_url_https: https://abs.twimg.com/sticky/default_profile_images/default_profile_6_normal.png, id: 2784389341, profile_use_background_image: True, listed_count: 0, profile_background_tile: False, name: Maktub Destiny, profile_link_color: 0084B4}, place: None}]
>>> pprint(output)
[{contributors: None,
  coordinates: None,
  created_at: Mon Sep 01 19:36:25 +0000 2014,
  entities: {hashtags: [],
               symbols: [],
               urls: [{display_url: isthereanappthat.com,
                         expanded_url: http://www.isthereanappthat.com,
                         indices: [16, 38],
                         url: http://t.co/QDVYv6bV90}],
               user_mentions: []},
  favorite_count: 0,
  favorited: False,
  geo: None,
  id: 506526005943865344,
  id_str: 506526005943865344,
  in_reply_to_screen_name: None,
  in_reply_to_status_id: None,
  in_reply_to_status_id_str: None,
  in_reply_to_user_id: None,
  in_reply_to_user_id_str: None,
  lang: en,
  place: None,
  possibly_sensitive: False,
  retweet_count: 0,
  retweeted: False,
  source: <a href=http://twitter.com rel=nofollow>Twitter Web Client</a>,
  text: Tweeting a url nhttp://t.co/QDVYv6bV90,
  truncated: False,
  user: {contributors_enabled: False,
           created_at: Mon Sep 01 16:29:18 +0000 2014,
           default_profile: True,
           default_profile_image: True,
           description: ,
           entities: {description: {urls: []}},
           favourites_count: 0,
           follow_request_sent: False,
           followers_count: 4,
           following: False,
           friends_count: 40,
           geo_enabled: False,
           id: 2784389341,
           id_str: 2784389341,
           is_translation_enabled: False,
           is_translator: False,
           lang: en,
           listed_count: 0,
           location: ,
           name: Maktub Destiny,
           notifications: False,
           profile_background_color: C0DEED,
           profile_background_image_url: http://abs.twimg.com/images/themes/theme1/bg.png,
           profile_background_image_url_https: https://abs.twimg.com/images/themes/theme1/bg.png,
           profile_background_tile: False,
           profile_image_url: http://abs.twimg.com/sticky/default_profile_images/default_profile_6_normal.png,
           profile_image_url_https: https://abs.twimg.com/sticky/default_profile_images/default_profile_6_normal.png,
           profile_link_color: 0084B4,
           profile_sidebar_border_color: C0DEED,
           profile_sidebar_fill_color: DDEEF6,
           profile_text_color: 333333,
           profile_use_background_image: True,
           protected: False,
           screen_name: KickzWatch,
           statuses_count: 4,
           time_zone: None,
           url: None,
           utc_offset: None,
           verified: False}}]

From looking at this you can see that output is a list which contains a single dict. To access this you need:

>>> first_elem = output[0]

You will also see that the hashtags key in the first_elem is contained in a second level dict under the key entities:

>>> entities = first_elem[entities]
>>> pprint(entities)
{hashtags: [],
 symbols: [],
 urls: [{display_url: isthereanappthat.com,
           expanded_url: http://www.isthereanappthat.com,
           indices: [16, 38],
           url: http://t.co/QDVYv6bV90}],
 user_mentions: []}

Now you are able to access hashtags:

>>> entities[hashtags]
[]

Which just happens to be the empty list.

To convert to JSON, note the comment:

>>> import json
>>> # Make sure output is the list object not a string representing the object
>>> json_string = json.dumps(output)
>>> jason = json.loads(output)
>>> jason[0][entities][hashtags]
[]

I think your problem is that you made output a string before you json.dumps it, meaning that json.loads will return a string, not a json object.

And @Dans answer is correct, this is not valid JSON. It is however a valid python dict, and Im assuming that you got it from Twitter using python then printed it.

First off, your JSON example is not valid JSON; the Twitter API would not output this, because it would break every conforming JSON consumer.

jsonlint shows the first, obvious syntax error: single-quoted rather than double quoted strings.
Secondly, you have None where JSON requires null, False instead of false, and True, instead of true.

Your alleged JSON example appears to have been pre-decoded into Python :). When I use a snippet of real JSON, it works exactly as expected:

import json

json_string = r
[{actual_json_key:actual_json_value}]


jason = json.loads(json_string)

print(jason[0][actual_json_key])

Python Json loads() returning string instead of dictionary?

I did json.loads(json.loads(string)) and was able to get the dictionary. You can check it out. The first time it doesnt just return the same string, but processes it(e.g. removes characters.

Python Json loads() returning string instead of dictionary?

Python Json loads() returning string instead of dictionary?

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