delete one level in a python dict keeping the values

Question

I have the following python dictionary:

'load_balancers': {'App': {'DJMatcher': {'security_group': 'sg-618d1c05', 'service_name': 'djmatcher/svc', 'certificateId': 'net', 'health_check_path': '/djmatcherstatus/ma.html', 'DNS': {'fde': {'record_name': 'platform-enrichment-djmatcher', 'ttl': 60}}}}}

Now it basically represents the following YAML:

 LoadBalancers:
    App:
        DJMatcher:
            certificateId: 'net'
            health_check_path: /djmatcherstatus/ma.html
            security_group: *svc_sg1
            service_name: *sn
            DNS:
                fde:
                    record_name: platform-enrichment-djmatcher
                    ttl: 60

I want to remove the second level of key - "App" and keep the rest as it is, which means the resulting python dictionary should become this where I delete the key App but the value now becomes the value for its parent key "load_balancers" :

'load_balancers': {'DJMatcher': {'security_group': 'sg-618d1c05', 'service_name': 'djmatcher/svc', 'certificateId': 'net', 'health_check_path': '/djmatcherstatus/ma.html', 'DNS': {'fde': {'record_name': 'platform-enrichment-djmatcher', 'ttl': 60}}}}

Any good way to achieve this ?

Answer 1

derp['load_balancers'] = derp['load_balancers']['App']

Answer 2

Although the problem does not ask for a general solution, I thought it might be worth working up one for the benefit of future searchers (and in case OP runs into a more complicated situation in the future).

def removeLevel(d, level):
    if type(d) != type({}):
        return d

    if level == 0:
        removed = {}
        for k, v in d.iteritems():
            if type(v) != type({}):
                continue
            for kk, vv in v.iteritems():
                removed[kk] = vv
        return removed

    removed = {}
    for k, v in d.iteritems():
        removed[k] = removeLevel(v, level-1)
    return removed

This runs recursively until it hits the correct level to remove, then copies all the children keys up.

For example:

>>> d = {'load_balancers': {'App': {'DJMatcher': {'security_group': 'sg-618d1c05', 'service_name': 'djmatcher/svc', 'certificateId': 'net', 'health_check_path': '/djmatcherstatus/ma.html', 'DNS': {'fde': {'record_name': 'platform-enrichment-djmatcher', 'ttl': 60}}}}}}
>>> removeLevel(d, 1)

{'load_balancers': {'DJMatcher': {'security_group': 'sg-618d1c05', 'service_name': 'djmatcher/svc', 'certificateId': 'net', 'DNS': {'fde': {'record_name': 'platform-enrichment-djmatcher', 'ttl': 60}}, 'health_check_path': '/djmatcherstatus/ma.html'}}}

>>> d2 = {'a': {'b':1, 'e':{'f':4}}, 'c':{'d':2}}
>>> removeLevel(d2, 1)

{'a': {'f': 4}, 'c': {}}

>>> removeLevel(d2, 0)

{'b': 1, 'e': {'f': 4}, 'd': 2}