Custom Dictionary Implementation

Please note: Before starting, make sure to read the guideline carefully.

Purpose of this Task

This task is designed to challenge you to think critically about how Python's built-in data structures work behind the scenes. By implementing your own Dictionary class, you'll gain a deeper understanding of hash tables, memory management, and algorithmic efficiency. These are core concepts in computer science that will serve as a strong foundation for your future development as a programmer.

Task Overview

Your goal is to create a custom Dictionary class that mimics the behavior of Python's built-in dict. You'll implement several key methods to manage key-value pairs in a way that is both efficient and robust.

Methods to Implement

• __setitem__(self, key, value)
  This method will allow you to add or update a key-value pair in your dictionary.

• __getitem__(self, key)
  This method will allow you to retrieve the value associated with a given key.

• __len__(self)
  This method will return the number of key-value pairs in your dictionary.

Key Concepts to Consider

As you implement your custom dictionary, you'll need to keep the following concepts in mind:

• Initial Capacity: How much space should your dictionary allocate at the start?
• Load Factor: When should your dictionary resize to maintain efficiency?
• Resize Strategy: How should your dictionary expand its capacity when needed?

For a detailed explanation of hash tables and how they work, you can refer to this GeeksforGeeks article on Hash Tables.

Storage Structure

You'll store each key-value pair as a node in a hash table. Each node should contain the following information:

• key
• hash
• value

The hash table itself can be a simple list of nodes.

Additional Features (Optional)

If you're feeling confident, you can also implement other methods that are part of the dict interface:

• clear
• __delitem__
• get
• pop
• update
• __iter__

These methods will help you build a more complete understanding of how dictionaries operate.

Testing Your Dictionary

You can test your Dictionary class using a custom class Point that implements the __hash__ and __eq__ magic methods. This will give you practical experience with how custom objects can be used as keys in dictionaries.

Important: Ensure that you implement your own dictionary from scratch. Do not use Python's built-in dict for this task.

Checklist

Before you push your solution, make sure to go through this checklist to ensure your code meets all the requirements.

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By the end of this task, you'll have a solid grasp of how dictionaries work, and you'll be better prepared to tackle more complex data structures and algorithms in the future.