# Macro to convert list of variables to Dict keyed by variable name
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/macro-to-convert-list-of-variables-to-dict-keyed-by-variable-name/8755
**Category:** General Usage
**Tags:** macros, metaprogramming
**Created:** [February 1, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/macro-to-convert-list-of-variables-to-dict-keyed-by-variable-name/8755 "2018-02-01T21:23:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@arghhhh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/arghhhh)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/macro-to-convert-list-of-variables-to-dict-keyed-by-variable-name/8755/1 "2018-02-01T21:23:23Z")
For debugging purposes, I’d like to be able to write something like:
> d = @makedict( a, b, c )
which would expand to
> d = Dict( :a=\>a, :b=\>b, :c=\>c )
I just can’t seem to work out how to do this…
---
### Author:  [@ChrisRackauckas](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ChrisRackauckas)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/macro-to-convert-list-of-variables-to-dict-keyed-by-variable-name/8755/2 "2018-02-01T21:24:29Z")
See `@pack` in Parameters.jl
```julia
d = Dict{Symbol,Any}(:a=>5.0,:b=>2,:c=>"Hi!")
@unpack a, c = d
a == 5.0 #true
c == "Hi!" #true
d = Dict{Symbol,Any}()
@pack d = a, c
d # Dict{Symbol,Any}(:a=>5.0,:c=>"Hi!")
```
---
### Author:  [@mohamed82008](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mohamed82008)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/macro-to-convert-list-of-variables-to-dict-keyed-by-variable-name/8755/3 "2018-02-01T22:55:37Z")
```julia
julia> a = 1; b = 2; c = 3;
julia> macro makedict(vars...)
expr = Expr(:call, :Dict)
for i in 1:length(vars)
push!(expr.args, :($(QuoteNode(vars[i])) => $(esc(vars[i]))))
end
return expr
end
@makedict (macro with 1 method)
julia> d = @makedict(a, b, c)
Dict{Symbol,Int64} with 3 entries:
:a => 1
:b => 2
:c => 3
```
---
### Author:  [@yuyichao](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/yuyichao)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/macro-to-convert-list-of-variables-to-dict-keyed-by-variable-name/8755/4 "2018-02-01T23:05:16Z")
> [@mohamed82008](#):
>
> $(vars[i])
`esc`
> [@mohamed82008](#):
>
> $vars[$i]
`QuoteNode(vars[i])`
---
### Author:  [@mohamed82008](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mohamed82008)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/macro-to-convert-list-of-variables-to-dict-keyed-by-variable-name/8755/5 "2018-02-01T23:14:16Z")
Merci!