Actually working persistence by overloading a dict

bot/framework.py

@@ -65,9 +65,6 @@ class BotFramework():
     def react_chats(self):
         """Checks unanswered messages and answers them"""
 
-        # HACKY: TODO remove
-        self.persistence.sync()
-        # writes persistent variables to file so that they ACTUALLY persist
         num = self.telegram.fetch_updates()
         for i in range(num):
             self.react_command()

launcher.py

@@ -4,17 +4,16 @@ import clock.main
 import dashboard.main
 # wrapper
 import wrapper
-
+import persistence.main
 # misc.
 from threading import Thread
-import shelve
 
 class Launcher():
     """Launches all other submodules"""
 
     def __init__(self):
         """"""
-        self.persistence = shelve.DbfilenameShelf("persistence/prst.db", writeback = True)
+        self.persistence = persistence.main.PersistentDict("persistence/prst.json")
         if len(self.persistence) == 0:
             self.init_persistence()
         self.persistence["global"]["reboots"] += 1

persistence/main.py

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import json
+import os
+
+
+
+class PersistentDict(dict):
+    """"""
+    def __init__(self, file_name, *args, **kwargs):
+
+        super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
+        self.path = file_name
+        self.last_action = ""
+        if not os.path.exists(self.path):
+            with open(self.path, "a") as f:
+                f.write("{}")
+        self.read_dict()
+
+
+    def write_dict(self):
+        with open(self.path, "w") as f:
+            json.dump(self, f)
+        self.last_action = "w"
+
+    def read_dict(self):
+        with open(self.path) as f:
+            tmp = dict(json.load(f))
+            for key in tmp:
+                super().__setitem__(key, tmp[key])
+        self.last_action = "r"
+
+
+    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
+        if self.last_action != "r":
+            self.read_dict()
+        
+        super().__setitem__(key,value)
+        self.write_dict() # writes 'self' to a json file.
+
+    def __getitem__(self, key):
+        if self.last_action != "r":
+            self.read_dict()
+        
+        ret_val = super().__getitem__(key)
+        if type(ret_val) == dict:
+            ret_val = HookedDict(key, self, ret_val)
+
+        return ret_val
+    
+    def clear(self):
+        super().clear()
+        self.write_dict()
+        return {}
+
+class HookedDict(dict):
+    def __init__(self, own_name, parent_dict, *args, **kwargs):
+        super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
+        self.name = own_name
+        self.parent = parent_dict
+    
+    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
+        super().__setitem__(key, value)
+        self.parent.__setitem__(self.name, self)
+
+    def __getitem__(self, key):
+        ret_val = super().__getitem__(key)
+        if type(ret_val) == dict:
+            ret_val = HookedDict(key, self, ret_val)
+        return ret_val

wrapper.py

@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ class Wrapper():
         while True:
             action()
             time.sleep(sleep_delta)
-            self.own.persistence.sync()