Chain-Key Access

Chain-keys allow you to access deeply nested values using dot notation.

Basic Chain-Key Access

from recursivenamespace import RNS

rn = RNS({
    'level1': {
        'level2': {
            'level3': 'value'
        }
    }
})

# Set using chain-key
rn.val_set('level1.level2.level3', 'new value')

# Get using chain-key
value = rn.val_get('level1.level2.level3')  # 'new value'

Safe Access

Use get_or_else for safe access with defaults:

# Returns default if key doesn't exist
value = rn.get_or_else('nonexistent.key', default='fallback')

Escaping Special Characters

If your keys contain dots, escape them:

# Key contains a literal dot
rn.val_set(r'key\\.with\\.dots', 'value')
value = rn.val_get(r'key\\.with\\.dots')

Performance Tips

Chain-key access is slightly slower than direct access
For frequently accessed paths, consider caching the reference
Use direct attribute access when possible: rn.a.b.c instead of rn.val_get('a.b.c')