python type_error ai_generated true

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

ID: python/pytest-mock-patch-dict

Also available as: JSON · Markdown · 中文
80%Fix Rate
82%Confidence
0Evidence
2026-01-20First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
3.x active — — —

Root Cause

A dictionary was patched with a Mock, but the code expects a real dictionary and calls dict methods like .items().

generic

中文

字典被 Mock 替换，但代码期望一个真实的字典并调用了 .items() 等字典方法。

Workarounds

  1. 95% success 
    patch.dict('module.my_dict', {'key': 'value'}) or use a simple class that implements the required methods.
  2. 85% success 
    mock_dict = Mock()
mock_dict.items.return_value = [('key', 'value')]
patch('module.my_dict', mock_dict)

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. 70% fail

    MagicMock supports magic methods but not dict-specific methods like .items() unless configured.

  2. 90% fail

    This defeats the purpose of the test and may cause other failures.