json_flat.py

def flatten_json(json):
    if type(json) == dict:
        for k, v in list(json.items()):
            if type(v) == dict:
                flatten_json(v)
                json.pop(k)
                for k2, v2 in v.items():
                    json[k+"."+k2] = v2

                    
def unflatten_json(json):
    if type(json) == dict:
        for k in sorted(json.keys(), reverse=True):
            if "." in k:
                key_parts = k.split(".")
                json1 = json
                for i in range(0, len(key_parts)-1):
                    k1 = key_parts[i]
                    if k1 in json1:
                        json1 = json1[k1]
                        if type(json1) != dict:
                            conflicting_key = ".".join(key_parts[0:i+1])
                            raise Exception('Key "{}" conflicts with key "{}"'.format(
                                k, conflicting_key))
                    else:
                        json2 = dict()
                        json1[k1] = json2
                        json1 = json2
                if type(json1) == dict:
                    v = json.pop(k)
                    json1[key_parts[-1]] = v

This was created to aid my answer to the stackoverflow question: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6027558/flatten-nested-python-dictionaries-compressing-keys