Django templates: Accessing dict keys with colons

Earlier this week I was updating a dashboard which uses Django templates. The data included a Python dictionary with a key that contains a colon: data:foo.

Normally the dictionary item is accessed using dotted notation such as {{ mydict.foo }} but using a colon results in a syntax error.

Exception Type: TemplateSyntaxError
Exception Value: Could not parse the remainder: ':foo' from 'mydict.data:foo'

The simple fix is to change the key but I don’t own this object and it cannot be easily changed. I devised a simple “fix” after a little browsing and experimentation: use a for loop.

{% for k, v in mydict.items %}
{% if k == "data:foo" %}
  {{ v }}
{% endif %}
{% endfor %}

It’s not elegant but it’s the best I could devise without creating a new Template Tag or filter.