gistfile1.py

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

''''
  NOTE: on dev_appserver.py console needs a cast to a dict() like so:
  pending_dict = dict(pending_activity)
  
  sometimes datatype passed back up to the method for recursing is not an array or a dict, but a float, say
  which has no len() method and raises TypeError, thus the try except block
'''
import json

def print_list_dict(indent, myinput):
  if isinstance(myinput, list):
    for e in myinput:
      if not isinstance(e, dict):
        print '%s%s' % (indent, str(e).encode('ascii', 'ignore')) or print_list_dict(indent,e) 
      else:
        print_list_dict(indent, e)
  elif isinstance(myinput, dict):
    for k, v in myinput.iteritems():
      if isinstance(v, dict) or isinstance(v, list):
        print ("%s%s: " % (indent, str(k).encode('ascii', 'ignore')))
        print_list_dict("   " + indent, v)
        if isinstance(v, dict):
          print
      else:
        print ("%s%s: %s" % (
          indent, 
          str(k).encode('ascii', 'ignore'),
          str(v).encode('ascii', 'ignore'))
        )
  
if __name__ == '__main__':
  import sys
  with open(sys.argv[1], 'r') as fileObj:
    dictObj = json.loads(fileObj.read())
    print_list_dict("", dictObj)