Django adding data into model from nested json returning TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable

Question

I am using a third-party API to get data and add it into my database via objects.update_or_create() method. This data has many records and some of the fields in the response only exists for certain records.

Below the a snippet of the JSON that is returned from the API. However this data is only present for some of the records in the JSON response. When I try to add this data into my model, I am getting the following error:

'f_name':               i.get('card_faces')[0].get('name'),
TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable

I am trying to have it so that if the card_faces field exists, True is added to the card_face column in the database, and then the card_faces name to the database. If card_faces doesn't exist, then False is added to the card_face column in the database, and subsequent fields are null.

JSON:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "name": "Emeria Captain"
    },
    {
      "name": "Emeria's Call // Emeria, Shattered Skyclave",
      "card_faces": [
        {
          "object": "card_face",
          "name": "Emeria's Call"
        },
        {
          "object": "card_face",
          "name": "Emeria, Shattered Skyclave"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

views.py:

for i in card_data:
  Card.objects.update_or_create(
    id=i.get('id'),

    defaults={
      'name':       i.get('name'),
      'card_faces': i.get('card_faces'),
      'f_name':     i.get('card_faces')[0].get('name'),
      'b_name':     i.get('card_faces')[1].get('name'),
    }
  )

Answer 1

If the card_faces field doesn't exist, then the result of .get('card_faces') will be None , which you can't then call index 0 on

Break apart your line and do a logic check instead - this solution assumes that if card_faces does exist, there will be an index 0 and 1; you haven't provided enough information to assume otherwise

card_faces = i.get('card_faces')
f_name = None
b_name = None

if card_faces:
    f_name = card_faces[0].get('name')
    b_name = card_faces[1].get('name')

defaults = {
  'name':       i.get('name'),
  'card_faces': True if card_faces else False,
  'f_name':     f_name,
  'b_name':     b_name,
}