How do you find the first key in a dictionary?

Getting the first key in older Python versions

If you're taking a trip down memory lane with Python 3.6 or older, step right this way:

from collections import OrderedDict
old_school_dict = OrderedDict([('apple', 1), ('banana', 2)])  # Old-school vibe
first_key = next(iter(old_school_dict))  # The apple falls first
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Back in the day, dictionaries didn't care about the order of keys, which is why we've used collections.OrderedDict for our nostalgic journey.

A well-ordered list

Here's another technique if those keys could line up nicely to get snapped (into a list):

first_key = list(my_dict.keys())[0] if my_dict else 'Default'  # Line 'em up, count 'em off
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It's good to keep in mind that this method can be expensive for large dictionaries since queuing up keys like this creates a new list.

Unpack 'em

Here's a special treat trick using key unpacking:

first_key, *lazy_keys = my_dict.keys()  # We've got a volunteer for the key disappearing act!
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This trick gets the first key in the audience and relegates the rest to bystanders. Beware though, *lazy_keys can get inefficient when the audience (dictionary) grows large.

Good ol' loop

If you are old school and like to iterate explicitly:

for first_key in my_dict:
    print(f"The first key is {first_key}, bet you didn't see that coming!")
    break  # Stop the key interrogation after the first one
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No tricks, just simple old loop magic.

Timing is everything

If you're a stickler for efficiency and performance:

import cProfile
cProfile.run('next(iter(my_dict))')  # Find out how long the key's bathroom break took
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Profiling each method will help you pick the perfect key for the lock.

Direct approach

Sometimes, you just have to ask for what you want, directly:

print(my_dict['banana'])  # Make sure 'banana' isn't playing hide and seek
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This approach will print the value of the specific key if it exists. Beware, 'banana' can be elusive, triggering a KeyError.