Python从JSON响应生成DataFrame时获取displayName遇KeyError: 'author'问题

Hey there! That KeyError: 'author' is popping up because at least one entry in your json_data['list'] doesn't have an author key — maybe some items don't include author info, or there's a typo in the key name (like Author instead of lowercase author). Let's work through fixes step by step.

First, Diagnose the Problem #

Before jumping to code changes, you can quickly spot which entries are missing the author field to confirm:

for idx, item in enumerate(json_data['list']):
    if 'author' not in item:
        print(f"Item {idx} is missing 'author' key: {item.get('contentID', 'no ID')}")

This will show you exactly which content entries are causing the error.

Solution 1: Safely Access Nested Fields with get() #

Instead of directly accessing i['author']['displayName'] (which breaks if author doesn't exist), use Python's dict.get() method. It lets you set a default value for missing keys, avoiding errors entirely:

import pandas as pd

# Collect all data in a list first (way more efficient than appending DataFrames repeatedly)
data_rows = []
for item in json_data['list']:
    data_rows.append({
        'Content_id': item['contentID'],
        'subject': item['subject'],
        'published': item['published'],
        'updated': item['updated'],
        'viewCount': item['viewCount'],
        'type': item['type'],
        'name': item.get('author', {}).get('displayName', 'Unknown Author')
    })

# Create the DataFrame in one go
df = pd.DataFrame(data_rows)

• item.get('author', {}): If author is missing, return an empty dictionary instead of throwing an error.
• .get('displayName', 'Unknown Author'): If displayName is missing from the author dict, use "Unknown Author" as a placeholder (you can replace this with None if you prefer empty values).

Solution 2: Filter Out Entries Without Author Data #

If you don't want to keep entries missing author info, add a check before adding them to your list:

data_rows = []
for item in json_data['list']:
    if 'author' in item and 'displayName' in item['author']:
        data_rows.append({
            'Content_id': item['contentID'],
            'subject': item['subject'],
            'published': item['published'],
            'updated': item['updated'],
            'viewCount': item['viewCount'],
            'type': item['type'],
            'name': item['author']['displayName']
        })
    else:
        # Optional: Log skipped items for debugging
        print(f"Skipping item with missing author data: {item.get('contentID')}")

df = pd.DataFrame(data_rows)

Quick Note: Ditch df.append() #

Just a heads-up — pd.DataFrame.append() is deprecated in newer pandas versions. Building a list of dictionaries first and then creating the DataFrame all at once is faster, cleaner, and future-proof.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Mamtha Pillai