Attributeerror: ‘dict’ object has no attribute ‘iteritems’

Category: Python | August 26, 2023

Fix: AttributeError: ‘dict’ object has no attribute ‘iteritems

Sometimes, while working with Python most of the time coders face the error message “AttributeError: ‘dict’ object has no attribute ‘iteritems'”. This error occurs when you try to access the iteritems() attribute of a dictionary object. Moreover, the iteritems() attribute was removed in Python 3, so you can no longer use it. For example, the following code will cause the error as shown in the following image as well:

dict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
for key, value in dict.iteritems():
    print(key, value)

This code will display following output:

AttributeError: 'dict' object has no attribute 'iteritems'


This code will cause the error because the iteritems() attribute does not exist in Python 3.

Possible Causes of Error

There are a few possible reasons why you might get this error:

Python Version Compatibility

This error will occur if you are using Python 3 and you are trying to access the iteritems() attribute because this attribute is compatible with Python 2.

Mistyped Method

It is possible that you might have mistyped the method name. If you are trying to use iteritems() in Python 3, it will raise an AttributeError.

Third-Party Libraries

If you are using third-party libraries that were designed for Python 2, and using iteritems() method. When running the code in Python 3, these libraries will raise an error message.

Interpreter or Runtime Issue

In some cases, there might be issues with your Python interpreter or runtime environment, that lead to unexpected errors.

How to solve this error

Solution 1: Python Version Compatibility

To fix the error, you need to use the items() attribute instead of the iteritems() attribute. The items() attribute returns an iterator over the key-value pairs of a dictionary. To fix the error, you can use the following code because it is showing no error as shown in the following image:

dict = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
for key, value in dict.items():
    print(key, value)

This code will display the following output as shown in the following image as well.

a 1
b 2


This code will not cause an error because we are using Python 3 and the items() attribute exists in Python 3.

Solution 2: Mistype Method Name

Double-check your code for any typos in method names. Always use items() a method instead of iteritems().

Solution 3: Update Your Installation

If you suspect an issue with your Python interpreter or runtime environment then reinstall or update your installation.

Future Precautions

Here are some future cautions to avoid this error:

  • Make sure that you are using the correct version of Python. If you are using Python 3, you should not use the iteritems() attribute.
  • If you are using an older version of Python, make sure that you are importing the dict module from the correct version of Python.
  • If you are using a third-party library, make sure that the library has been updated to work with Python 3.

Conclusion

I hope this article helps you understand the error message “AttributeError: ‘dict’ object has no attribute ‘iteritems'” and how you can solve it. Moreover, for the latest updates you may visit the official documentation. If you have any other questions, you are free to ask!