richard-scott · March 20, 2025 16:10 · Mar 20, 2025 · Mar 20, 2025
diff --git a/dict_filters.py b/dict_filters.py
@@ -3,12 +3,13 @@
 def remove_keys_recursive(original, remove):
     if isinstance(original, dict):  # Handling dictionaries
         filtered_dict = {}
-        for key, value in original.items():
+        for key in sorted(original.keys()):  # Sort keys alphabetically
+            value = original[key]
             if key in remove:
                 if isinstance(value, dict) and isinstance(remove[key], dict):
                     # Recursively process nested dictionaries
                     filtered_value = remove_keys_recursive(value, remove[key])
-                    if filtered_value:  # Keep non-empty dictionaries
+                    if filtered_value:  # Keep only non-empty dictionaries
                         filtered_dict[key] = filtered_value
                 elif isinstance(value, list) and isinstance(remove[key], list):
                     # Remove specific values or dictionaries from the list
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ def remove_keys_recursive(original, remove):
             else:
                 filtered_dict[key] = remove_keys_recursive(value, remove.get(key, {}))
 
-        return filtered_dict if filtered_dict else None  # Remove empty dicts
+        return dict(sorted(filtered_dict.items())) if filtered_dict else None  # Sort final dict keys
 
     elif isinstance(original, list):  # Handling lists
         return remove_items_from_list(original, remove)
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ def filters(self):
             'dict_recursive_remove': custom_filter
         }
 
-# The following was used to test the above code before using it as a filter in Ansible.
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':   
     # Example Dictionary with Lists
     original_dict = {

diff --git a/dict_filters.py b/dict_filters.py
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+from ansible.errors import AnsibleFilterError
+
+def remove_keys_recursive(original, remove):
+    if isinstance(original, dict):  # Handling dictionaries
+        filtered_dict = {}
+        for key, value in original.items():
+            if key in remove:
+                if isinstance(value, dict) and isinstance(remove[key], dict):
+                    # Recursively process nested dictionaries
+                    filtered_value = remove_keys_recursive(value, remove[key])
+                    if filtered_value:  # Keep non-empty dictionaries
+                        filtered_dict[key] = filtered_value
+                elif isinstance(value, list) and isinstance(remove[key], list):
+                    # Remove specific values or dictionaries from the list
+                    filtered_dict[key] = remove_items_from_list(value, remove[key])
+                elif remove[key] is None:
+                    continue  # Fully remove this key
+            else:
+                filtered_dict[key] = remove_keys_recursive(value, remove.get(key, {}))
+
+        return filtered_dict if filtered_dict else None  # Remove empty dicts
+
+    elif isinstance(original, list):  # Handling lists
+        return remove_items_from_list(original, remove)
+
+    return original  # Return non-dict, non-list values as is
+
+
+def remove_items_from_list(lst, remove_list):
+    """
+    Removes elements from a list, including dictionaries, based on remove_list.
+    """
+    if not isinstance(remove_list, list):
+        return lst  # If remove_list isn't a list, do nothing
+
+    result = []
+    for item in lst:
+        if isinstance(item, dict):
+            # Keep dictionary items that don't fully match any dictionary in remove_list
+            if not any(is_dict_match(item, remove_item) for remove_item in remove_list):
+                result.append(item)
+        else:
+            # Remove non-dict items directly
+            if item not in remove_list:
+                result.append(item)
+
+    return result
+
+
+def is_dict_match(dict1, dict2):
+    """
+    Checks if dict1 matches dict2 (i.e., if dict1 contains all key-value pairs in dict2).
+    """
+    if not isinstance(dict1, dict) or not isinstance(dict2, dict):
+        return False  # Only compare dicts
+    return all(k in dict1 and dict1[k] == v for k, v in dict2.items())
+
+
+def custom_filter(data, remove):
+    try:
+        return remove_keys_recursive(data, remove)
+    except Exception as e:
+        raise AnsibleFilterError(f"Error in filter: {e}")
+
+class FilterModule(object):
+    def filters(self):
+        return {
+            'dict_recursive_remove': custom_filter
+        }
+
+# The following was used to test the above code before using it as a filter in Ansible.
+if __name__ == '__main__':   
+    # Example Dictionary with Lists
+    original_dict = {
+        "a": [1, 2, 3, 4],
+        "b": {
+            "c": [5, 6, 7],
+            "d": [{"e": 10, "f": 20}, {"e": 30, "f": 40}]
+        },
+        "g": [100, 200, 300]
+    }
+
+    remove_dict = {
+        "a": [2, 3],  # Remove 2 and 3 from list "a"
+        "b": {
+            "c": [6],  # Remove 6 from list "c"
+            "d": [{"e": 10}]  # Remove dicts inside list where "e" == 10
+        },
+        "g": None  # Remove the entire list "g"
+    }
+
+    filtered_dict = remove_keys_recursive(original_dict, remove_dict)
+
+    # Remove top-level empty dictionaries (if necessary)
+    filtered_dict = {k: v for k, v in filtered_dict.items() if v is not None}
+
+    print(filtered_dict)
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